The girls’ JV and varsity soccer teams are off to a great start on their 2021 season. 

So far the varsity team has a 7-2 record and JV has an 8-1-1. After a year-long hiatus, the soccer girls were ready to bring their A-game to the field. 

Assistant coach, Ryan Halterman, explains how his coaching techniques improve the girls’ game. He notes how important engagement is, “I try to make sure that the players are enjoying what they are doing while at the same time improving their soccer skills. I believe that if they are having fun, they are more engaged in the training and then are more likely to perform well in the games.” Although this is important, Halterman also makes sure that there is a line between fun and slacking off. “I try to focus our practice sessions to address the skills that we need to improve on. Hopefully, we do this in a way that they can translate these practice drills into a game situation,” explains Halterman. 

The 36 girls in soccer this year are spending their practices making up for lost time. Freshmen and sophomores alike have never played soccer in a high school setting due to last spring’s Covid cancellation, making this year a learning curve.

Halterman describes some of the other challenges the team has faced, “This is the most players that the girls’ soccer program has had. That is a great thing, but sometimes finding enough space for practicing can be a challenge.”

For sophomore, Danyel Fahey, this soccer season had been everything she has dreamed of. “This year has definitely been a memorable one. Since I am only a sophomore, this is my first year of high school level soccer and it is everything that I wanted it to be,” explains Fahey. 

Fahey has an important role playing center defense and defensive mid. She explains these roles by saying, “Center defense means that I play, out of the 4 defenders, one of the middle ones and help control the middle of the field, and drop when I need to, to help the outside defense. Defensive mid is when I play the back of the two mids in the middle. This means that I stay closer to the 50-yard line and help offensively when needed, and defense when needed.” 

 To hype herself up before games, Fahey likes to get a smoothie and listen to music to pump herself up for the competition. Senior, Sydney Anderson, likes to take a more technical approach before games. Anderson looks at the scoring threats and film from the other team to size up her competition, as well as looking at the overall formation they use. 

Anderson, goalie for the team, describes her thinking behind this saying, “That way I know who to look for when they come at me and know where to set up my defenders.” 

Anderson provides the last defense for the ball, but with her perfect view of the field, she can alert any players of things they need to look out for. 

Both players like the welcoming atmosphere that soccer provides. Anderson sums it up perfectly saying, “While we are serious and want to get better, everyone just has fun. We want to make sure everyone gets better and not just ourselves and we have fun while improving. Soccer is one of my favorite sports because it is the sport I can have the most fun with the least amount of judgment.”