With girls’ soccer only losing three starters, the team is ready to get back at it and have a good season. The Kits have a tight group that has been working hard in the offseason and putting in the extra work.
“Our team is going to stay really solid. Hopefully, our young players have gotten more comfortable on the field so we can do better this season and perform with more confidence,” said Captain Bridget Durkin.
Soccer had a successful season last year, going 11-5-4, although some players were disappointed with its results.
“We didn’t get as far as we wanted to last year. However, I think we have an even better shot than last year,” said Durkin. “We were super young; we had three freshmen starting for us.”
Looking back on last season, Coach Stacy believes the team had a good run, but is even more ready for this year.
“Last season was great. We won a Regional Championship and played against top competition. We finished 3rd in our conference,” Coach Stacy adds. “Unfortunately, we were knocked out earlier than hoped in the playoffs, but we will be more ready and experienced this season.”
With soccer’s season-ending loss to Lane Tech last season, they are hoping to come out on top and beat them this season. Durkin and junior Sophie Hunwick are both hungry to beat them.
“We lost to Lane Tech to end our season last year, which I am a senior, and I have lost to Lane Tech all three years,” Durkin comments. “It’s been rough.”
This is a very mutual feeling throughout the team.
“My goals for this season are to obviously win games and to make it to the playoffs and beat Lane Tech,” said Hunwick.
To accomplish their goals, Hunwick, Durkin, and the team have been putting in a lot of work in the offseason to be prepared for the season.
“In the off-season, we have all been attending our open gyms, which are a really good way to stay in shape, but besides that, I was just getting touches on the ball whenever I can and going on runs to keep up my endurance,” said Hunwick.
To be ready for the season, it doesn’t take only one player; everyone on the team needs to be involved and ready to accomplish their goals.
“We’ve been training a ton in the offseason, our fitness. We run different fitness tests every week during open gyms,” said Durkin.
After the athletes have put in their hard work, they are ready for the season and excited for what’s ahead.
“The speed, toughness, and fearlessness starts with our current senior class. From our back line and keeper to our forwards, we are strong, fast, skilled, and fun to watch,” Salgado said.
After tough last-minute ties, Sophie says, “Something I would change would be playing every game with a 0-0 mindset until the game’s done.”
As the season begins, Coach Stacy says, “I am excited to see the girls build on what we started last year. With this group, I know they are capable of winning our conference and making a deep playoff run. With them believing, they will be unstoppable.”
The girls’ soccer team is looking forward to having a successful season, winning lots of games, especially beating Lane Tech. Catch the Kits game at Lazier on Monday, March 16, at 7:00 pm.
