The girls and boys soccer teams at Gretna High have officially begun their seasons with new teams and coaches. As the pre-season came to an end, the girls’ team had geared up for their upcoming games. Along with a new season and team, the program has also gained a new volunteer coach.
“Her name is Dogget, she’s a girls basketball coach, she played soccer in college, and she misses the sport. That is why she’s volunteering, but she’s not going to be a designated coach,” sophomore Aspen Votruba said.
Along with Makayla Dogget, the team has also gained another coach. New mentors allow the team to grow and introduce new experiences.
“We got one new coach, her name is Ashley (Malloy), and she is more of a goalkeeper coach, I think she played for (Rachel) Twist back when Twist coached at Skutt,” senior Sydney Malone said.
New energy and ideas within the team are a huge part of the growth and performance of athletes. Introducing new teammates helps with team development and allows for the trial of new strategies.
“I am excited to have a new team, I think that a fresh start is always fun,” Malone said. “I think it’ll be different from last year; we lost a couple of good senior leaders, but we have a really heavy freshman class this year, so it’ll definitely be an adjustment.”
Starting fresh, new goals must be set and are a influential part of team success throughout the season.
“I hope that we can be a little more successful, like scoring-wise, I hope we can hold our own against some tougher teams like Skutt or Blair, and I hope that we just have fun while doing it,” Malone said.
With a new season new opportunities allow for the team to come up with new goals and aspirations for the upcoming season.
“A goal for my team is to make it through District and possibly go to State,” Votruba said.
The bonds and friendships formed create a major impact on the players and overall performance on the field.
“Friendship makes us play for each other and not just as individuals, because then our team culture is better, and it just makes the field better,” Votruba said.
By forming connections with one another, people get more comfortable relying on each other and trusting the process.
“You can tell that it makes a difference, especially because people that you wouldn’t normally see talking to each other talk to each other on the field,” Malone said. “It brings a sense of community to our team, and it changes how we play together because you feel like you really know the people you’re playing with.”
Leadership within a sport is something that makes or breaks the unity in a team. Leaders ultimately play the most influential role by directing everybody else as well as being on top of everything.
“I’m looking forward to just being the best leader that I can,” Malone said. “I’m a senior now, so I get the chance to be a leader this time around, and I might be a captain, so that’ll be nice. I just wanna motivate people and prove that I can be the best.”
