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Girls soccer: Lady Farmers feature six frosh, transition under first-year coach Willett
By Justin Thomas, jthomas@starlocalnews.com
Lewisville's girls soccer team got its first glimpse of where they stand in preparation for the District 5-5A season this weekend when they competed at the Allen Girls Showcase (results not available as of press time).
The squad was coming off a 2-0 victory over Denton as they strive to find the right mix of returning players and newcomers. The Lady Farmers are also adjusting under first-year coach Becca Willett, who was an assistant at Flower Mound last season and has previous head coaching experience at Sachse in 2003-04.
"Everything has been going very well so far," Willett said. "It's been exciting and we haven't had as many issues early on as I thought we might have."
"We have a good mix," she said. "We have some key players back, but we also have about six freshmen who are on the team and will be big contributors. The big question is going to be our depth because our district is going to be very tough. I'm crossing my fingers for no injuries."
While Lewisville had only played one contest entering the tournament, Willett is already pleased with the progress she's seen as the Lady Farmers refine their knowledge of the 4-4-2 system.
"It's a traditional, possession-style attack," Willett said. "We want to have a lot of players in the attack, but obviously still have the ability to get back and defend. We've already made great strides in how we possess the ball and the understanding of the system."
Lewisville's system is designed to take pressure of its keepers, which include juniors Alaisha Sanders, Callie Eagan and senior Kim Hosey. Sanders brings back varsity experience from last season.
"They're all getting a chance to play in the preseason," Willett said. "We'll play it out and see who wins the spot and that's probably going to come down to who is the most consistent."
Defenders include freshman Cali Arthurs and Hannah Campbell, sophomore Chandlar Josey and junior Taylor Garrison.
"The two freshmen will play quite a bit and have been doing a good job so far in practice," Willett said. "Chandlar brings a lot of speed and size and Taylor is someone who can really initiate the attack and hold things together back there. We're looking to her and Cali for a lot of leadership in the back."
At the midfield positions, the Lady Farmers will lean on freshman Kandis Hartdegen and senior Katie Cummins in the middle, and senior Sam Naughton and junior Ashley Cronin on the outside. Naughton, Cronin and Cummins combine to bring a large amount of experience to the position.
"They do a lot from the leadership aspect but also really execute their roles," Willett said. "We can attack a lot with them and Katie has been leading us in scoring through our scrimmages."
Freshman Jaylin Finney also figures to fit in the rotation following basketball season.
Senior Erin Hebert leads the attack up top and is supported by freshman Bria Williams and junior Sydney Priest.
"Erin works very hard off the ball and kind of sets everything up for us," Willett said. "Bria is quick and skilled and understands the game well and Sydney has a similar understanding and can really create with the ball."
With a balanced roster, Lewisville is hopeful it can compete for a playoff spot in 5-5A.
But that could be easier said than done as the district includes three teams ranked in the top 10 nationally, according to the Elite Soccer Report (No. 3 Marcus, No. 5 Coppell and No. 9 Flower Mound).
"It's going to be very tough," Willett said. "We just have to take it day-by-day and we should be competitive. We have nothing to lose, and we have a lot of girls who have played against those teams before. They can send the message to the rest of the team that we can play with them. But at the same time, sometimes the younger kids being a little naïve can actually help because there are no preconceived notions."
Lewisville continues its pre-district slate Tuesday at Justin Northwest before hosting the Lewisville Cup Thursday-Saturday.
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