Coaching staff: Rodney Sternhagen, Jen Boita
Key returners: Zoe Anderson, Sarah Nagel, Emma Weber, Olivia Eliason are our seniors
Key newcomers:
Six first-year students and one third-year student participate in the soccer program. Many of them have been playing soccer for many years and they bring skill and speed from talking to the coaches. My junior is a Spanish exchange student who switched from field hockey to soccer this year and is also fast.She spoke with the hockey coach and was told she is very coachable, so she is excited to bring the new edition to our team.
Conference outlook: Our conferences are always a battle. As the smallest school in the conference, we do our best to prepare for a David vs. Goliath battle every conference game. We strive to prepare them for the opponents they compete in every game and always compete for the win. Lakeland and Rhinelander have been the top teams in recent years, but Medford, Mosinee and Antigo have always been tough fights. We have a great conference, to say the least, and these tough teams always prepare us for the postseason.
Keys to this season's success: We believe the key to success this year starts at the back. Last year, we had two freshmen goalies who played very well and worked hard to improve each other. We hope they take their game to the next level and grow from their rookie year. We have a mature back four and will be expected to be stingy with our defence, which will help us win in the final stages of the tough battles we will face this year. If they can consistently shut down our attacks and our counters find the back of the goal, we will have a successful season. The team has yet to find a true goal scorer, so I'm hoping there are some women who can step up and fill that role. We had a hard time scoring goals against a tough opponent, but we need them to advance in the postseason.
Coach Comments: Is there anything else you would like to share? Our numbers are decent and allow us to have two teams, which is essential to building a solid program in a small school district. When I became head coach five years ago, we had 14 girls on the team. The number is increasing every year, and it allows girls time to grow and learn rather than being under the fire of the varsity team. I think we have a solid core of girls to come back and step up and lead the team. Our seniors last year were strong voices and leaders. We are looking for this mature team to take on the role, continue the strong history of Pines women's soccer, and create a tradition of its own.
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