Bella Prince had a season and a career, frankly, that defined the success of the Bradford girls soccer program.
Prince scored 37 goals and had 33 assists in 2024, her senior season, on her way to Big 30 Player of the Year.
It’s a four years that went by in many ways in the blink of an eye.
“It definitely went by really quick,” Prince said. “It feels like yesterday I was a freshman, but it went by really quick because it was really fun and I enjoyed it a lot.”
To listen to her head coach, Jim Warnick, it’s her selflessness that’s part of what makes her such a great player. Prince was one of just two seniors on the 2024 team, with Grace Close being the other. Warnick expressed at the start of the season that it could be a rebuilding year in some ways for a program that had won six consecutive District 9 titles.
The Lady Owls had other ideas. They went 15-5 and, despite having their District 9 title streak snapped by DuBois, the season was still a success, and Prince was a huge reason why, as she also earned District 10 Region 6 Player of the Year honors.
“Bella, I mean she’s one of only two players in program history with 100 goals and 100 assists,” Warnick said. “She’s been such a great team player. She really did what it took for the team and she will be hard to replace.”
Warnick pointed out both the milestone, and in fact, Prince’s 124 assists are the most in program history. Her 137 career goals also rank third all-time. That milestone 100th goal in her junior season stands out to Prince in a high school career full of fond memories. But perhaps even more than that, the success they shared together as a team is what she’ll remember most.
“Probably scoring my 100th goal in my junior year and winning districts for my first three years,” Prince said about her best memories. “As a team, it was so fun to work together with all the other people I got to play with.”
This involved a position switch for Prince, something that Warnick was quick to point about her doing whatever it takes for the team. It wasn’t always easy, but it was rewarding.
“It was definitely hard trying to adapt,” Prince said. “We had a ton of freshmen. As a a team, they’ll just keep growing and getting better. We definitely grew so much from the beginning of the season until the end.”
Among the players that flourished for the Lady Owls were fellow Big 30 All-Stars Jaydon Hogue and Alyssa Mangold.
A junior, Hogue was a mainstay on defense for the Lady Owls, as she helped guide along a mostly younger group.
Mangold, meanwhile, scored an eye-popping 48 goals, with many of the assists coming from Prince. Mangold also had 14 assists.
“Bella was pivotal in leading the offense,” Warnick said. “She was a player that led by example and was very selfless as she distributed the ball to many different goal scorers this year. Most plays started with her or went through her on the build up to goal.”
With her high school career now in the rearview mirror, Prince turns her attention to the future. And while she doesn’t exactly know where that future will be, one thing is for certain — soccer will be a part of it.
“I plan to play college soccer,” she said. “I haven’t decided where yet, but I definitely plan to play somewhere.”
