By Dimitrios Kontagiannis, Sports Editor
At the time of writing this article, the girls soccer team here at Indian Trail have a 1-2-2 record, and are certainly looking to improve this season not only on the field but off the field as well. Despite what some might call a losing record, there’s a lot of confidence among the girls in the locker room.
“The season is going very well,” said junior Goalkeeper and co-captain Chloe Masi. “We have a very strong team and some very good freshmen. We all get along really good.”
“I would say that our biggest achievement is coming together and playing as one. I know it sounds cliché, but this group of girls really has come together, they play for one-another, and make each other better players on the field. The environment has been pleasant while competitive, and because of these interactions, this team will do great things and have a good season,” said Drew Baker, the Indian Trail girls soccer head coach.
The season hasn’t gone without its struggles though.
“The biggest struggle for us this season has been scoring. We have done a great job possessing, building attacks, but we have had some trouble in the final third,” said Baker.
Coach also praises the girls on how well they take criticism.
“The girls have a strong work ethic at practice, and take direction and commands well; whether it from a coach or from a teammate. In the past, we have had issues with the way players take criticism, and this year has not been the case (knock on wood). We have positional depth, and the girls are supportive of their teammates when they are not in the game, and when they are in the game, they work hard to not let their teammates down,” Baker said.
So how will the team do down the stretch?
“I expect to see us all improve tremendously, not only as individuals, but as a whole. I also expect us to go farther in the playoffs this season,” said Masi.
“I am sure that many people, when asked this question, answer to win this or be in first of that. Since soccer is one of those crazy sports, where the better team doesn’t always win. Sometimes you can dominate play, but just not win the battle on the scoreboard. Trust me, we know that feeling,” said Baker.
“I would say that the things that I would hope for this season would be for the girls to enjoy themselves and have a great experience; gain a bigger passion for a sport that I love so much; and get through the season with as many girls staying as healthy as possible,” Baker said..
“We realize players can get sore and hurt, but we want to prevent as many injuries as possible. We would like to end the season as one of the top teams in conference, and I hope that this could be our first team (in the program’s history) to hold that Regional plaque after the Regional Final game,” he said.