The Lawrence University women’s soccer team is wasting no time getting ready for their 2019 fall season. The team has started their spring season full of lifting, practices and will eventually play a friendly game at the end of the term.
As Coach Joe Sagar was hired in April of 2018, the team had little time to prepare and transition to the new coach before last fall. Now, they have had an entire winter to get to work and for Coach Sagar to recruit. The Lady Vikes only lost two seniors from last year’s team, so the heart of last year’s team remains intact. Seniors Chole Gierymski and Claire Vinopal each played in 17 games last year, so they do leave some big shoes to fill. However, the team is ready. “We’ve had seven girls commit for our incoming class,” said sophomore Brynn Schroeder, “so we’re looking to have around 20 girls on the team next season. It will be the largest roster the team has had in the last four years.”
While their spring season is really just starting, the team has been hard at work throughout the winter and the beginning of Spring Term. “Our off-season has been great,” said Schroeder. “We’ve been lifting at 6 a.m. three times a week and playing twice a week. Coach [Sagar] has really pushed us to want to get better and to hold ourselves and one another accountable.”
The team hopes to use this spring season to get better as a team. It is a time for them to work on things without the added physical and mental pressure of games every couple of days. Additionally, an air of excitement has returned to the team, and they are itching to get started. “The team is really excited going into this year’s pre-season,” explained Schroeder. “Our schedule for next season is different than past years and we should be able to see a lot of success. Spring season will be a great way to jump start our summer program so that we come in ready to play next fall. We’ll be doing a lot of conditioning, and we’ll be finishing with a friendly game against the men’s team.”
Junior Barbara Espinosa echoed this sentiment, saying, “We are so happy to start our spring season! We have worked really hard during off-season, and we are so excited to see how it pays off. We have had great attendance at lifting and have made great progress. Additionally, our coach, Joe Sagar, has done a wonderful job recruiting. We expect a big class of first-years. Things are looking good for next fall, and we can’t wait to get started!”
There are big things coming for the women’s soccer program, so keep an eye out when they return to campus for Fall Term. Right now, it may just be conditioning and practice, but they hope all of the work they have been putting in will translate into newfound success for the program. With a deep roster and a new schedule, anything is possible for this team.