Monticello — 1. Briefly talk about your upcoming season?

We are a first-year varsity program building from the ground up. With no

soccer experience on the team, we have a lot to learn but that doesn¹t

lessen the expectations we have placed on ourselves. Unlike some

communities, these girls haven¹t been playing soccer from a young age, so we

are going straight into a varsity schedule without any foundation. The girls

have worked very hard though, and we expect that hard work and determination

can overcome some of the barriers we face. Everyone is excited about the

possibilities.

2. What do you like best about your 09 team, or what would you consider

as a strength at this point of season?

The desire, excitement and commitment demonstrated by the players

throughout the summer in pre-season training was a good indicator that

effort will not be a problem. Being the newest sport on campus, there is a

sense of pride in the team and a willingness to show everyone that we can

learn about soccer and put what we learn into place on the field. The team

chemistry has been excellent. With a ³go hard or go home² attitude, the

players have shown they are in it for the right reasons.

3. What is your biggest concern or concerns about the upcoming season?

The obvious concern is that our lack of experience in soccer leads to a

large learning curve. However, I am confident that we will develop as we get

some games under our belt and each player becomes more comfortable in what

is expected of them. We are in a district with some teams that have had

girls varsity soccer for over 15 years, so we face some stiff competition

but that also provides a great opportunity to learn and get better.

4. Any key players expected to contribute that deserve special mention

and what do they provide the team?

With a squad relatively small in number, everyone will be expected to

play a role and contribute to the team¹s efforts. Junior Diamond Dick and

freshman Hallie Gillespie were voted co-captains by their teammates, so

leadership from them will be critical. With Dick playing in central defense

and Gillespie in goal, they are also key to our on-field organization as a

team. But really, with no history to go on, every player could be mentioned

as they all provide something positive to the team.

5. Talk about your schedule and goals for the season?

We have 13 games scheduled for our first season as a program, 5 of which

are at home. About half of our games are district games which will be very

tough, but we also were able to schedule some games with teams that are

relatively new to soccer and we think we can compete with. No matter who the

opponent is, we will take the field expecting nothing less than a win, but

in a situation where that isn¹t the case, hopefully we learn and build on

what we did and continue to improve. Realistically, our goal is to do

everything we can to learn and develop as a soccer team, and hopefully win

some games along the way. Without any seniors, everything we do can be

utilized next year which is exciting. We are all just very thankful that our

school board, administration, and athletic director have given us the

support to get a new sport started here at Wayne County and we want to do

our best to represent our school and community well. Parent involvement and

support from so many different people in the school district and community

has been great. All of this has led to a very exciting and encouraging

atmosphere around the team. As the girls have said, we are happy to be

making history.