Teams learning from experience
When fall comes around, so does soccer season, and this year they’ve learned to pick it up. For varsity soccer teams, teamwork is everything.
“This year we’ve learned to play more together as a team, and not as individuals,” said senior and captain, Kelsey Schmitt.
“Coach Wolfe is a lot more relaxed on the sidelines this year, which makes things a lot easier,” said senior and captain, Stephanie Owens.
The girl’s team is made up of six seniors and they’ve had a winning record (8-3) with all losses out of town.
“ We lost to out of town teams that are all ranked in the state. We lost to the defending state champs and Carmel, who are now ranked number one,” said Owens.
The girls are striving to make it to state, and after last year’s sectional loss are even more determined.
“After last year’s sectionals, we knew it was time to step it up. We could have made it a lot further, but we got cocky. It was definitely a learning experience for us,” said Owens.
The Lady Panthers are having an amazing season, and are working together to make sure they don’t have an early end to their season,
“This TEAM is capable of making it to state, and we’ll play hard to get there. We’ve learned from past experiences, and we’re making sure not to make the same mistakes again,” said Schmitt.
The boy’s varsity team is no different than the girls,
“We play as a team. We’re all really good friends and we have trust in each other to get the ball where it needs to be,” agreed seniors Brock Bagby and Andres Angulo.
Photo by Kyra Williams
There are a total of eight seniors on the team but that doesn’t make a difference for them,
“ I honestly forget that some guys are younger. We all get along really well. It’s not about seniority, it’s about being a team, and that’s what we are,” said Angulo.
Their record is better and their goals are higher this year, “Regionals are definitely not out of the question, but our ultimate goal is to make it to State,” said Angulo.
This year has had its fair share of struggles, but they’ve made it through,
“We’ve had a few injuries, with Andrew Phillips out for the season, and then we weren’t sure until recently who our goal keeper was going to be. Then we got Izaac Robinson, and now we’re all doing really well,” said Bagby.
Two specific games stick out in their mind, North and Mater Dei.
“North was an example of what not to do. There were ahead 3-1 and thought they had it wn in the first half, so they started slacking off. We pushed ourselves to work together, and we were able to tie the game,” said Angulo.
“Mater Dei was one of our best games even though we lost. We definitely outplayed them; they just got lucky with a few penalty kicks. We played together really well, and everyone was where they needed to be, and we worked hard to get the ball down the field,” said Bagby.
With the boys, position is everything,
“It goes back to us being so close. We know what everyone is capable of doing, and we move around the field based on who is playing and we make it work,” said Bagby.
Both teams are having outstanding seasons with similar goals in mind. They’ve both made changes and learned a new way to play the game. As a team.
