With girls’ soccer tryouts underway seniors Abigail Watson and Bree Ehmer reminisce about their first time stepping on the school pitch and make plans for the future season and beyond.

During tryouts both girls agree they want to find optimistic teammates that can build the team up.

“We’re really looking for people who can cooperate and add to the culture not just on the field but off it as well,” Ehmer said. “We don’t want any clunkiness or any drama because that usually translates to how we play.”

Watson agrees.

“Players who play for themselves tend to bring the team down,” she said.

During tryouts both look for ways they can treat the new players with kindness, just like the hope and encouragement they were given when they were younger.

“It was terrifying, like the first time we tried it was kind of scary,” Watson said, “because it was between eighth and ninth grade and we were a lot smaller than what the girls were then.”

They agreed that is was intimidating to have to go and play at the same field as them knowing that they had to live up to the legacy set down before.

“We try to encourage them because we know they’re good enough obviously as a lot of them were pulled up during the postseason to play,” Watson said. “We let them know that they are at the same level as us and can definitely play with us.”

While they look at tryout prospects they also take into account their goals for the future.

“I want to go undefeated during the season,” Ehmer said. “Also winning districts would be amazing along with beating Edgewood because they’ve been our rivals as long as I’ve been here.”

Watson is optimistic.

“Winning districts and possibly state have been out big goals for the last few years but this time I think we have a real chance,” she said.

One obstacle is a lack of healthy goalkeepers on the team.

“It does suck that both our keepers are out because right now we don’t have a set keeper going onto the field,” Ehmer said.

The Lady Wildcats will have to resort to field players to take the role while the main keepers recover.

Despite this they have plans on what to focus on to get the team game ready.

“It’s going to come down to practices,” Ehmer said. ” I think if we focus and spend more time training on what we need to then it will help us in the long run.”

Beyond high school, Ehmer and Watson both have plans to continue playing soccer on the next level. Ehmer has already committed to a Division 2 college to play soccer in North Carolina and Watson has numerous offers as well although she hasn’t selected yet. Watson expressed the thrill when you are selected for college.

“It’s one of the greatest honors to receive that email,” Watson said. “It sort of validates your hard work and effort you have given the game throughout your career. It shows that all the years you put in mean something and it’s an encouraging to know that you are wanted to play on a higher level and are wanted to represent a school.”

By Christian Thein