As the soccer season begins, the girls put their preparation and skill to the test. Every year the girls soccer team gets closer and closer to the championship game, but this year they are planning on playing smarter.

Senior Amanda Dahl said, “I prepared for the season by continuing to play club and practicing to get better for the season.” She plays club with senior Emma Richey; both girls made it onto the varsity team.

Roberts and the senior leaders have big plans this season to reach the championships. Roberts stated, “the biggest change is we have some really good senior leadership and they’re all devoted to the team and the sport and they want this year to be memorable.”

Dahl said “I’m going to be a good leader this year by making sure everyone’s on top of what they’re supposed to be doing. I’m going to make sure we lead ourselves to the right path to win state.” She learned from her previous years on varsity and from her senior leaders how to be the best leader possible.

This is the last year for the seniors to leave a legacy. Coach John Roberts said, “We have a lot of good freshman so the seniors have an opportunity to leave their mark…and show [the younger girls] how to play Perry soccer.”

Dahl said, “We have three new freshmen on the team. I think they’re going to make a big impact on the team. We lost four seniors that started and it’s going to be an impact… We’re going to go into every game not knowing because a lot of the [other school’s] teams changed and it usually doesn’t happen.” The team has changed, but the girls have adapted to make the team stronger because of them.

One of the three freshman, Joey Lujan, explained, “I’m really excited, I did the fitness packet [given to the athletes in preparation for the season’s conditioning requirements] and I worked hard at practice. I think [playing on the varsity team] should be fun, it’s a new experience.”

The girls have prepared for the season to make it to the championship game and win.