Seahawks in search of some respect
By Jason Devaney
They arrived by bus and by car. Some drove teammates, others maneuvered their cars into the parking lot by themselves at South Lakes Drive Park.The South Lakes girls soccer team, a program that has not gotten much in the respect department in recent memory, is determined to change history and become a player in the Liberty District.
"They're looking to improve their record and to get a little respect," said Seahawks assistant coach Charissa Perry during Monday's off-campus practice. "We're a smaller school, so we pull from half the kids that places like Oakton do. They get trash talked a lot in the media, things like that. It's always nice when they do things and do them well."
Anchoring the 2008 Seahawks is the senior captain trio of Susan Carrai (defender), Maggie Kraus (midfielder/defender) and Lynse Ambers (forward/midfielder/defender). Junior Olivia Neuman provides the last line of defense in net.
Perry said Neuman played well in the team's season opener at Oakton two weeks ago, a game the Cougars won, 3-0.
"She had a really good game against Oakton," Perry said. "She had like 20 or 30 saves. They kept her real busy."
South Lakes faced Mount Vernon Tuesday night and travels to Herndon next Monday before beginning its district schedule against Woodson on April 3.
Much like the Seahawks, Herndon is looking to reverse its course and become more than an automatic win for teams in the challenging Concorde District. Head coach Nick Stames said the 2008 team is looking strong, although it was dealt a blow recently when top player Kate Goldin, the starting right halfback who earned a scholarship at Vanderbilt University for next year, suffered a torn ACL during a basketball game and will miss the season.
"She's just obviously very disappointed because not only does she miss the high school season," noted Stames, "but she's got some other things club-wise that she's gonna be missing out on – like going overseas and playing – that she's not gonna be a part of."
Senior Rosella Sheehan has stepped into the void that Goldin left, and Stames said "she's done great so far." Sophomore defender Lyndsay Irish is also playing well, and her versatility is already apparent – she can play at either of the two center back positions and defensive center midfield. The Hornets will rely on Irish to provide an offensive boost.
Senior defender Erin Parker and junior midfielder Kaley Mosher are the team captains, along with Goldin. At Monday's practice, Goldin was hobbling around in shorts and a sweatshirt, a large brace on her left leg. She was wrapped in a blanket because of the howling winds that were sweeping over the field at Herndon Middle School.
The Hornets have been below .500 for the past few seasons, and won only a handful of games last year. What will it take for the Hornets to become more of a Concorde threat?
"It's all about confidence," Stames said. "Regardless of what sport you're playing, if you can gain confidence by winning games, it gives you confidence to go into the games you're not used to winning and put forth a better effort."
Elsewhere in the Concorde, Oakton returns some quality players from the 2007 team – a squad that finished with a 6-8 record under first-year coach Edward Brown.
Senior captain Devin Grimm, who also shined for the field hockey squad in the fall, is one of the top sweepers in the state. She will play for St. Mary's College of Maryland next year, and is backed by sophomore forward/midfielder Alex Straton, and the other senior captains – Hally Hardtke (defender), Karen Strat (midfielder) and Nicole Peters (midfielder/defender).