Class 4A All-Conference girls’ soccer selections were announced recently, with three members of the Evanston High School girls’ soccer team receiving postseason recognition.

Recent graduate Kinnley Hintze was named to the 4A West All-Conference First Team — as voted on by the Wyoming Coaches Association — while fellow graduate Jacey Bardsley and freshman Julia Barton were named to the 4A West All-Conference Second Team. Hintze also received votes for 4A All-State, landing her on the second team.

Hintze led the Lady Devils with two goals, and four points; she also led the team in shots taken (22) and shots on goal (14).

“I was so excited about Kinnley’s All-Conference pick — she’s been nominated for four years, and this is her first year getting it,” said EHS head coach Karalynn Barton. “The Riverton coach really spoke well of her, and the coach that really put her over the top was Star Valley — she couldn’t say enough good things about Kinnley.”

Bardsley and Barton were a talented 1-2 punch at forward for the Lady Devils early in the season; an injury to Barton derailed coach Barton’s offensive plans for the two later in the season. That said, coach Barton was pleased her two forwards were given All-Conference recognition.

“I’m excited that the other coaches in the conference recognized them and their hard work,” she said.

Barton will have some big shoes to fill with Hintze and Bardsley lost to graduation. The two — along with fellow graduates Celeste Ayala-Gomez, Bella Dover and Keyla Renova — were the core group Barton has built the team around the last two seasons, and the program will miss their leadership.

“We had a group of really strong seniors this year, and we’re really going to miss their work ethic,” Barton said. “Celeste, Keyla, Bella — all of them are great teammates — they put the team first. With injuries, and things like that, it never all came together for us, but they all kept a great attitude, and they kept working hard. That’s all you can ask for. All of these girls are going to take the lessons they learned here, and be successful in life. It’s a tough group to lose.”

That said, there is reason for optimism. Barton said the young players with varsity experience this season have shown great promise, and the group coming up from the middle school club ranks has a bunch of players talented enough to contribute early.

“I am so excited for the girls coming up,” Barton said. “Just to have a group of girls that will be coming into our program with a grasp of the basics. Combining with the girls that learned the basics this year on our JV team should give us some depth. It will give us a chance to start working on some more tactical stuff earlier. And we will probably be using some of those younger girls up with the varsity, their skill level is already at the point where they can help us. It just depends on how they show up. I’m expecting them to really push our program forward.”

Offense was a struggle for the Lady Devils in 2024; the team scored just four goals on the season, though Barton said there were opportunities for more.

“I think we had the lowest team in terms of offense in the state this year in 4A, so I was surprised — it was definitely the least amount of goals scored since I’ve been coaching,” Barton explained. “It’s shocking to me, because I felt like we were creating opportunities. But we had some injuries to some key players, and it really slowed our offense considerably.”

Hintze signs with

Western Wyoming

Turning a disappointing senior season into a positive, Lady Devils midfielder Kinnley Hintze — recently named to the 4A West All–Conference First Team — has signed to play soccer at Western Wyoming Community College in Rock Springs.

“Western’s coach [Brady Baldwin] watched Kinnley play this season, and said, ‘She absolutely needs to be playing at the next level,’” said EHS head coach Karalyn Barton said. “He just really pursued her, which I was excited about.”

Asked what Hintze will bring to Western in terms of makes her a player that can succeed at the collegiate level, Barton said hard work, a high soccer IQ and leadership abilities.

“In Kinnley, Western is getting a leader,” Barton explained. “She walks the walk — she’s going to show up to practice with no drama, and she expects those around her to work hard. That’s one thing I’ve really liked about her — she’s always pushed the players around her to do better. I’m excited to see her connect — she’s really good about reading the field, and connecting passes, all those good things. I think she’ll represent our high school very well.”

Barton went on to say that she’s gotten to know coach Baldwin over the years, and is excited for Hintze to play for him.

“I’ve gotten to know the Western coach, and I feel comfortable sending him one of my girls,” Barton said. “There have been other coaches that have reached out about some of my players, and I’ll mention to those players that I don’t have a good feeling about that coach. But I’ve never had that with coach Brady.”