The women’s soccer team welcomes freshmen and new players with positive expectations and high hopes for the season.

With the new players and new season, the ladies are determined to tackle their future games. The team hopes to improve from last years soccer season. Team captain Julia Effinger spoke about last year’s season.

“Last year’s season was a bit interesting because we were not really that successful in the regular season. I think we won a total of three games in the regular season, but in tournament play. . . and we won districts which was amazing and pretty much completely unexpected from us, so I am overall really proud of last year’s season because the girls never gave up,” Effinger said.

Despite the past season’s weak points, the team retained their strength and played hard. Team captain Kylie Cannon also commented on last year’s season.

“We were a great team, we just didn’t have the confidence we needed and I feel like this year is going to be a lot better. There is always supposed to be a year for learning,” Cannon said.

Head coach Dave Howson discussed the struggles of last year’s season.

“Last season was like nothing we have experienced before. We struggled with our goalkeepers [getting] injured, [meaning] we had to keep chopping and changing. We played well during the season but had a tough schedule. We only won three games during the regular season, but then we had a good run in the playoffs and ended up winning the district for only the second time since I started coaching the girls,” Howson said.

Howson spoke of his aspirations for the team in the new season.

“We always aim to improve on the season before. I would also like to go further into the playoffs than we did last season. Last season, we had to focus on defending and limiting the opponent’s chances due to our goalkeeping situation. This year, we have a strong defense with another year’s experience, so we should be able to focus on attacking and creating chances,” Howson said.

The team members are looking forward to a hopefully successful season where they can work on and achieve their goals. The team will focus on their strong points and improve upon them in both practice and in game. Team captain Sydney Padgett mentioned one of the strongest points of the team.

“I think one of our strongest points as a team is that we have a different variety of players, so we have a lot of players that can play different positions and have different strengths and once we come together as a team I think we [can] work really well,” Padgett said.

Focusing on the weak points will allow the team to improve as a whole and perform better at games. Howson mentioned his excitement for the team.

“I am really excited about this year’s team. I honestly believe it is the strongest squad we have had in the eight years I have been here,” Howson said.

The team’s next game is Saturday October 13 at home against Lakewood. The seniors for this year include Emily Albert, Isabella Berrodin, Kylie Cannon, Julia Effinger, Abigail Hermann, Amanda Nelson, Sydney Padgett and Avery Vosper.