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Sports
Building blocks : Sports : Oswego Ledger-Sentinel : Hometown Newspaper for Oswego and Montgomery, IllinoisBuilding blocks
| Young Oswego East girls' soccer team rebuilds with one senior in mix
| by Christine Bolin
| 3/22/2012
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Last season, the Oswego East girls' soccer team struggled with injuries to key senior players.
The younger players had no choice but to get used to playing without them on the field.
"It was unfortunate not to have those players for a lot of our games, but all and all, that set the girls up for this season," Oswego East head coach Lauren Anderson said. "They aren't used to having those seniors on the team playing with them anyway."
This year, there's only one senior on the Wolves' roster - midfielder Carli Schlaker, who scored eight goals last year. Defenders Victoria Pecci and Anida Phetchanpheng and forward Brittany Brewer (who scored 11 goals last year) lead the junior-heavy team.
These returning players were on the Wolves' team who finished 11-8-1 overall and 3-4-0 in the Southwest Prairie Conference last year.
"In conference, we didn't do as well as we wanted, so we are looking to improve on that," Anderson said.
Unfortunately, in addition to losing seniors, Oswego East lost a pair of sisters, Justine and Sam Lee, who would have been juniors, but moved to England. Justine Lee was the team's No. 1 scorer last spring.
However, with half the roster back and top newcomers in freshman midfielder Miranda Lambert and junior goalkeeper Alyson Newton, Anderson knows it's still early in the season.
"It'll be a building year, and we'll be playing around with different positions than we have in the past, which I think will help us," said Anderson, who is in her eighth season as head coach. "No matter what happens, their work ethic is top-notch and their team chemistry is some of the best I've seen. Things are very positive."
The Wolves posted their first win of the year on Monday, defeating non-conference Glenbard South 3-2 at home. It was a come-from-behind victory for Oswego East, which scored all three goals in the second half after the Raiders scored all their goals in the first half.
Schlaker, Brewer and Phetchanpeng each tallied their first goal of the season. Junior goalkeeper Alysen Newton recorded nine saves.
In Oswego East's first game of the season last Saturday, the Wolves fell to Downers Grove South, 4-1. The lone goal was scored by junior midfielder Megan Moran off a free kick in the second half. Newton added 10 saves.
"(Downers Grove South is) a very strong team with fast, big and tall girls," Anderson said. "I think it's good we play a high-caliber team like that to start the season."
The Wolves resume play today, Thursday, at home in their first Southwest Prairie Conference game of the season against Plainfield South.
After two non-conference contests against Rosary (March 31) and Manteno (April 3), the Wolves host another conference team, Romeoville, on April 5.
Oswego East has to wait until its last game of the regular season on May 8 to face rival Oswego on the road.
•For a complete team roster and schedule, see page 27.
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