BELLVILLE — When Clear Fork’s Katie Beck was a freshman in 2025, she looked up to players like Brinley Barnett and Ashtyn Wine.
It was hard not to. Barnett scored 36 goals and handed out 17 assists and Wine added 29 goals and 18 assists as All-Ohio players for the Colts. But now, those two have graduated from the girls soccer program leaving a 65-goal void.
SCOREBOARD: 2026 Richland County Girls Soccer Scoreboard: Flames beat Tygers
With how Beck started her sophomore season on Friday, Aug. 14 in a 4-1 Friday Night Futbol victory over the Madison Rams, it seems the Colts have found their go-to scorer for 2026.
“Last year, I was looking up to those girls like they were my older sisters and I stole every single one of their moves,” Beck said with a laugh. “Every move is literally from them and it actually made me more confident than I ever have been. I’ve been training harder and doing the necessary things to take on this role.”
Beck scored two goals while Lily Swendal and Maci Roberts had one apiece to lead the Colts to an opening night victory that was a coming out party of sorts for Beck, who had just four goals last season. She put the area on notice that she could be the present and future of Richland County soccer.
“She started for us last year and she was solid,” Clear Fork coach Brittany Bechtel said. “Her best game was her best game last year against Ottawa-Glandorf in the tournament and she built on that into basketball and track and now back in soccer. She is such a gamer and trains so hard. She is all in all the time and we are lucky to have her.”
Swendal finished a penalty kick just 13 minutes into the game to give the Colts a 1-0 lead. It came shortly after senior wing Asia Bechtel was carted off the field and had her left knee put in on ice and later in a brace with what looked like a serious injury. With their senior leader out, the Colts rallied around her and Beck made sure to give the Colts a 2-0 halftime lead as they regrouped.
“I am so thankful my coach and teammates trust me with these opportunities,” Beck said. “Some coaches won’t let freshmen and sophomores play, but my coach is different she is amazing and believes in all of her players. She helped me prove to myself that I can do this.”
Down 4-0, Madison did get on the board when Alyvia Taylor finished a scramble at the front of the net with 3:05 left in the game. The Rams have struggled to score goals in recent years and did so again on opening night.
“It is just a knack,” Madison coach Rob Kershner said. “We have girls who are very good at scoring, but the problem has been getting them the ball in position to do what they are great at. We will work harder as a team and as coaches to get our scorers in better positions. It’s early and we are rounding into shape.”
Kershner is in his first season as head coach of the Rams and admits there will be some growing pains as the team and coach adjust.
“We have a lot to work on with this being my first year and we are all just getting used to each other,” Kershner said. “They have done a great job of jumping in and working hard, we just have to figure out some positions and continue to grow.”
While they figure things out offensively, Madison (0-1) will hang its hat on the defensive side with defense and grit as the team identity. They will try to rebound on Aug. 18 at home against North Ridgeville.
“It started that way today, but when you go down 2-0, you have to try to create some offense,” Kershner said. “Then you leave your defense vulnerable. I am far from disappointed in this. We will use this as a building block that will help us win games this year. Once we start gelling, we are going to be a tough out.”
The Colts (1-0) travel to Norwayne on Aug. 18 for a shot at going 2-0, but looked at Game 1 as one of the most important on their schedule.
“We look at this game as extremely crucial because we have five freshman playing key minutes in their very first varsity game ever,” Bechtel said. “I swing a lot of girls and there are girls who are starting now who didn’t get a lot of playing time last year, too, so we use this game to get them used to the pressure of playing varsity soccer. It is so important in every phase to come away with a win.”
Beck saw opening night as a must-win big game even if it was Game 1 of 17.
“We do put a lot of stock in this game,” Beck said. “Not everyone can win Game 1 and we wanted to be a team that went 1-0 to start the season. It gives us confidence going into our next game and will help us continue the progress we want to make every single day.”
This article originally appeared on Mansfield News Journal: Beck breaks out in Clear Fork's Friday Night Futbol win over Madison