Sidney soccer coach Kevin Veroneau, left, presents senior forward Larkyn Vordemark with a game ball after she broke the program career goals record in the first half of a Miami Valley League game against Xenia on Monday. Vordemark has 96 career goals to her credit after a hat trick in Monday’s victory.
Luke Gronneberg | Sidney Daily News
SIDNEY — Larkyn Vordemark has been eying Sidney’s career goals record since before her first varsity game as a freshman. She achieved her goal on Monday.
Vordemark scored a goal about 10 minutes into the first half of an 8-0 victory over Xenia to reach 94 career goals and become the program’s sole all-time leader. She scored another late in the half and a third early in the second half for a hat trick. After Monday’s victory, she has 96 to her credit.
Vordemark, a senior who gave a verbal commitment in July to the University of Southern Indiana, scored a goal on a penalty kick in a 1-1 tie at Kettering Fairmont on Saturday to tie the previous record of 93, which was set by 2019 graduate Elaine Wiesenmayer.
“She, from the very beginning, was asking, ‘What will it take to break the record?’” Sidney coach Kevin Veroneau said. “… She’s had that eye on the prize the last four years, and she’s been doing it incrementally, and it made it a lot easier for her to get the goal.”
Vordemark scored 13 goals as a freshman and has steadily increased her numbers each year since. She had 23 as a sophomore and 36 last year, when she was named Miami Valley League athlete of the year and first team all-Ohio in Division I.
Vordemark has scored an MVL-best 24 this year, 10 more than the next highest total by an MVL player.
“It’s something that’s been long awaited,” Vordemark said after celebrating and posing for pictures with family and friends following Monday’s victory. “I’m just so proud I could get myself to that level and for my teammates to be able to push through every single ball to give me all those opportunities.
“… I wouldn’t be here without my teammates working just as hard as me. Honestly, I can give all the thanks to them, because they work so hard just to get me the ball, and then I just have to put the ball in the back of the net.”
Madie Piatt and Katie McKinney each scored goals before Vordemark scored her record setter.
McKinney, a junior, sent a pass from midfield to Vordemark just inside the left side of the goal box, and Vordemark fired a kick with pressure from two nearby defenders into the back left corner of the net as Xenia’s goalkeeper made a diving save effort.
Veroneau said Vordemark has made marked improvement in long-range shots.
“She will come out with our goalkeeper and our goalkeeper coach, pulls out a couple of bags of balls, and she’ll just shoot,” Veroneau said. “That’s what you hope players will do, train on their own, work on their weaknesses and get better.
“… The long-range shots, each year, just get closer and closer to the frame from distance.”
McKinney added another goal before the end of the half and Briana Lewis scored one to help the team take a 5-0 halftime lead. McKinney scored another in the second half for a hat trick and sophomore Tessa Curl scored one in the final minute.
The Yellow Jackets (8-3-1, 5-0-0) are one of three undefeated MVL teams. They are scheduled to travel to Vandalia-Butler (8-3-0, 4-0-0) on Sept. 25 and to host Tippecanoe (7-1-1, 6-0-0) on Oct. 2 in key league matchups.
Sidney lost three nonconference games in a four-game stretch two weeks ago but has won or tied in its last four.
“There are some games that have slipped away from us, but obviously that happens to every single team,” Vordemark said. “We just have to come out towards the end of the season and make statements. We want to get a good tournament draw and come out for league placing, everything we’ve talked about all season.
“We just have to put in the work, listen to Coach, succeed in our game plans, and we’ll be just fine.”
Veroneau said the Yellow Jackets responded well after the tough stretch, and some defensive adjustments have strengthened the squad. Among the adjustments is moving freshman Bailey McCutchins to goalkeeper; she has made 21 saves and surrendered two goals since taking over.
“We also moved Kendall (Dickman) into the midfield, Anara (Shroyer) out wide and Riley (Randolph) into the back line, and then moved Maddie (Piatt, who formerly played goalkeeper) up into the mid,” Veroneau said. “Maddie is a quality midfielder. In her first two games, she had three assists.
“So we had the pieces. We were hoping they would fit the way they started, but they weren’t, and it was time for a change.
“Getting those three losses in a row and giving up a lot of goals forced us to go that way, and since we’ve gone that way, you can see we’re having more success in every line on the field.”
Vordemark has 33 career assists to her credit, one shy of tying for fifth place in program history in that category.
Before taking on Butler next Wednesday, Sidney is scheduled to host Piqua this Wednesday.
Reach Sidney Daily News editor Bryant Billing at 937-538-4822, or follow @BryantBillingSDN on Facebook or @TopBillingSport on X (Twitter).
