After a heartbreaking Sectional loss to Franklin Central to end last season, the Lady Woodmen soccer team is ready to prove themselves.
Through the off-season, teams are bound to face changes on the roster through graduating seniors.
“We graduated four starters last year and even more on the bench who were key pieces to the team. But, this year we have a big core of senior girls who are experienced in leading the team,” Coach Daniel Appelbaum said.
Along with people stepping into new roles, the team continues to grow in other ways.
“We have grown so much as a team since last year, especially in our communication skills and the way we play together,” senior captain Joelle Young, midfielder, said.
When playing the same teams yearly, there are always big games between rivals and highly-talented schools.
“Our biggest opponents this year are probably Plainfield and Whiteland. Both of them are bigger than us, but we put up good fights against them. We tied Whiteland last year and lost to Plainfield, but we should turn both of those into wins this year,” freshman Lylah Wallischeck, defender, said.
Another Mid-State rival school could be a challenge for the Lady Woodmen.
“I expect that Martinsville will be one of our hardest opponents this year. I know that they’re pretty good at a lot of other sports, and they’re ranked well in the state for soccer, so that will be a tough game,” junior Melanie Le, wing, said.
Before games, different players take different approaches to getting themselves ready to play.
“To prepare for a game I usually drink lots of water throughout the day and eat healthier than normal. I also like to listen to music to calm my nerves,” Le said.
Some players have pre-game traditions they stick to.
“Before games, I go to Subway and have a sandwich, chips, and a cookie. I eat Subway before every single game,” Wallischeck said.
The team comes together to get ready with each other, too.
“To prepare for games this year, we have been focusing on how we play as a team. We’ve decided to not play according to the level of our competition but to make our competition step up to our level,” Young said.
