By DAVID WOOD, for The Democrat
After a rough 0-4-1 start to their season, the girls varsity soccer team is picking up steam.
The cold streak came to a close with a 3-0 shutout over Trinity Lutheran at home Sept. 6.
“This was our best game we’ve put together,” Head Coach David Phelps said.
“We made some minor mistakes, and fortunately they didn’t cost anything, but this was by far the best I’ve seen them work, communicate and put passes together.”
[sc:text-divider text-divider-title=”Story continues below gallery” ]In the week leading up to the match, Phelps had the girls work on spatial issues as well as in-game decision-making.
The team lost nine seniors since last season, so he believes the young and inexperienced members may not always know what options they have.
As a result, they attempted a new formation during the match, which moved veteran players toward the middle of the field.
One such player, senior and co-captain Maggie Crimmins, was awarded the game ball for her performance. Normally playing as a defensive sweeper, she quickly adjusted to her role as an offensive coordinator.
“She’s fantastic as a captain and up to this point she’s primarily played defense. Tonight, we tried to do something really different,” Phelps said.
“I saw her communication skills go way up tonight where she got to kind of control the offensive push.”
As one of the senior players, Crimmins believes her job is to help let teammates know where they are on the field and what options they have.
She feels that communication is something the team usually struggles with, but tonight was different.
“I think for once we all worked together really well. We can struggle with communication, but tonight it was really strong,” she said.
“It felt like we were one. I feel like everyone listened and that communication was our key.”
Scoring two of the three goals for the Eagles, junior Isabel Rygiel mirrored Crimmins, adding that the younger girls are starting to progress as the season plays out.
“Today we played really well. We actually put our practice into our play and we talked so much more than we usually do,” she said.
“We have a lot of young girls this year, and today they really came together and figured it out.”
In addition to Crimmins and Rygiel, senior Maddy Westcott’s presence on the field helps guide the newer members. As co-captain alongside Crimmins, Westcott shares similar responsibilities.
Including Rygiel, the trio helped change the team’s play in-game.
“The three of them having a lot of experience together and being near each other in the game helped change the dynamic in the middle of the field,” Phelps said.
The three captains, Crimmins, Westcott and fellow senior Skylar Fleischman, have also introduced a positive environment for the team both on and off the field.
“The positivity that the captains have been trying to instill … we had a pretty bad loss earlier in the season and as I was walking away I could hear the captains say, ‘I want you to say something positive about the person beside you,’” Phelps said.
“So with that type of environment, it’s really nice to have captains who are really leading their team and taking ownership.”
Phelps simply hopes the team keeps getting better without focusing on the result.
“On the field, I just want to keep improving. What we try to instill is that success is not really about the end result; it’s more about what you’re doing to get there, and it’s your peace of mind knowing that you’ve tried your best,” he said.
