by Luke Saliga
This week’s team of week is the JV girls soccer team. The Hawks are 3-2 and have a game coming up against former league champion Algonquin. New head coach Scott Duplisea is excited about the team’s successful season thus far. Last year the team started 0-5 and finished 2-11.
The team has more focus and determination this year. “ We have been practicing harder and just worked harder than last year, “ said Duplisea. “The girls really want to win and give it all they got.” The team has had more practices and worked out all offseason.
The team did not lose many players since last year. Most of their players were ninth graders, so they have just stayed on JV.
“One of reasons last year’s team lost so much was that most of the kids were young and inexperienced,” said Duplisea. “Now they have played at this level before, and they are the bigger kids.”
The team’s high-powered offense has scored 14 goals already this season. “The girls are getting to the ball fast and taking amazing shots,” said Duplisea. “The difference from last year is that the girls are taking every shot they can, and sometimes it will take a lucky bounce and will go in.”
One weakness is their defense, which has allowed 12 goals this season, and and the team still has the tougher part of the schedule to come. “They are having issues clearing the ball correctly. They will think they have cleared it, and the other team will still score,” Duplisea said. “They have made some mistakes that have caused us to have some really close games.”
The Hawks are really getting pumped for the Algonquin game. They are excited to have a stab at the champs. “Well Algonquin is a good team, and I respect them. They have a good all-around team,” Duplisea said. “They are undefeated, and it would be nice to ruin that for them.”
