Special to the ShowMe Times
by Kim Waldner

Two Dexter girls have become familiar faces on soccer fields throughout the region.

Julia Hahn and MaKayla Waldner are currently playing on the Sikeston eighth grade Coed All-Star Soccer Team, which recently won 1st place at the Bootheel Invitational Tournament and 2nd place in the Perryville Cup.

Both girls got their start at soccer in first grade playing on a co-ed team with Dexter Parks and Recreation, where they developed their fundamental skills and their love of the game.

When they were in second grade, they played with DPR as well as on a Dexter girls team, which competed in the Bootheel Invitational.

The following season both girls played in the 3rd-4th grade girls recreation league in Sikeston. That season is really 'when it all began', as they were selected to the All-Star team and began traveling to competitive tournaments.

A common saying among parents and coaches on the sidelines and after some big wins was “Go Sikeston.....and a little bit of Dexter”.

They were again selected to the all-star team in fourth grade and both played a huge role in their teams’ outstanding success, finishing the season 17-1.

In 2008, the then fifth grade Dexter girls were playing with the #1 ranked U-11 girls team in the state of Missouri. They have played in major tournaments in Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, and Tennessee, representing teams from Sikeston, Jackson, and Cape Girardeau. Both girls were also guest players for a Kentucky team in the Kentucky State Cup in May 2011.

Hahn and Waldner are currently eighth grade students at T.S. Hill Middle School, and are playing on the undefeated girls’ basketball team. When not playing soccer, both girls stay busy with academics and other sports.

Both girls are members of the DMS Quiz Bowl team which won 1st in the state and region in 2011. Hahn is also a cheerleader and a member of the DMS Volleyball team, while Walder is an outstanding member of the track and field team at DMS, as well as the Cleats of Fire traveling team.

As you can see, the girls have been together a lot and consider themselves more like sisters than just teammates or friends.

Hahn and Waldner will be playing this weekend in the Fall River Rage soccer tournament in Cape Girardeau.