Lady Wolves debut defensive team

Finding the right lineup and getting into a rhythm is something the Green River High School Lady Wolves soccer team will work on this season.

“We’re more of a defensive team, than an offensive team,” head coach Tracy Wyant said.

This week, the Lady Wolves were working on two different lineups to see how they would work for them.

Wyant said it’s just going to take the team a little longer to get to know each other and start playing like a team. So far, the team has lost three games this season, two non conference and one conference.

“It takes time to jive as a team,” Wyant said. “Give us a little more time and you’ll see a different team.

Just getting enough players available to play is something the team has struggled with this season.

“I had girls that couldn’t play because they didn’t have 10 practices in,” Wyant said.

She said the players are required to attend at least 10 practices before they can play a game. With cheer ending their season at state after soccer practices start, that caused some problems. Wyant said unlike basketball, cheer is considered an activity, not an athletic program so those in cheer have to attend 10 practices, while those coming from basketball, which is an athletic program, only have to practice three or four times.

However, going from basketball to soccer right away is a big change. Wyant said the team only had 12 practices before its first game. It’s a short preseason, she said.

This year, the team has 13 varsity players making up the team, but Wyant said she will still need to pull up some junior varsity players.

“For the most part, everybody gets to play,” she said.

As for team goals, with such a short preseason the team hasn’t had a chance to sit down and go over them, however they will find time to do so.

“I’m sure some of the girls have personal goals already,” she said.

One goal all of the west teams, including Green River, always have is to win a first-round game at state. Wyant said for the past seven years none of the west teams have been able to advance beyond the first round of play at state. That’s something that will always be a goal.