Women’s Soccer Prepared For New Season

HANG TOUGH

THE WOMEN’S SOCCER TEAM IS PREPARING FOR THIS SEASON AT A WHOLE NEW LEVEL.

By Carlo Bligh

A common sentiment is spreading like wildfire through the women’s locker room — hard work leads to satisfying results.

Since the arrival of coach Angela Kelly in 2012, the women’s soccer team is working harder than ever in hopes to see better results in 2013.  But exceeding the standards put into place by the team last season stands to be a difficult task.

During the regular season, the Longhorns will face six teams that competed in last season’s NCAA Championship tournament. And while some coaches create schedules that guarantee a winning record, others itch for a fight. Kelly is the latter.

“I made the schedule that way,” Kelly stated. “I learned in my playing career that you have to play the best to be the best.”

Make no mistake — Kelly wants a winning streak. [s2If current_user_can(access_s2member_level2)] However, she prefers to take the players down a harder path where they’ll face tougher opponents en route to the postseason. Through these matchups, Texas will develop into a National Championship-caliber team.

“I’ve always pursued the toughest competition,” she said. “The next two seasons will be even tougher.”

For the women who’ve played under two coaches — first Chris Petrucelli and now Kelly — the change in pace was paramount. When Kelly first arrived, workouts were unbearable; but now, hard work, sweat and tears are the way of life for a Texas soccer player.

“We get excited to get out there and work hard because Coach Kelly is out there,” senior defender Brenda Saucedo said. “I don’t even notice the hard training sessions anymore.”

“It’s hard to understand the level of training we’re at,” sophomore goalkeeper Abby Smith added. “We train hard every day.”

Kelly holds only one expectation for her team, which Smith nailed on the head. At minimum, the Longhorns need to train hard every day — and that alone reveals a great deal about Kelly’s coaching philosophy.

“‘Expectation’ is the key word,” Kelly emphasized. “They have expectations in practice and in the classroom. There’s a reason why our team has one of the highest GPAs. There’s an expectation to pursue excellence in all that these women do.”

Her squad has embraced and internalized these expectations, as reflected in their everyday mentality.

“We work for so much more than winning,” Saucedo said. “We’re proud to be here.”

Longhorn soccer fans are already wringing their hands in anticipation as they study the matchups lined up for the 2013 season. Texas, however, is only examining one team — themselves.

The Longhorns will play to win every single game this fall, no matter their opponent. This is an introspective squad that looks within themselves to find these victories. After a grueling spring, the desire of these women to see their own team in action is palpable.

“You have to make sacrifices to be on the team,” senior midfielder Gabby Zarnegar explained. “The team comes first and you come last and that’s hard to understand your first year. It’s about self-sacrifice.”

Zarnegar understands the difference between last season and those before.

“I tell the sophomores all the time how I wish I had it as good as they did,” she stated.

With Kelly’s direction, Zarnegar came into her own as a crucial component of the squad in 2012, leading the team in assists during conference play.

Texas graduated three seniors who made an offensive impact during the team’s last campaign, but the women who follow in their wake are far from concerned.

“Our spring was successful — the best I’ve had here — so I’m not worried about our scoreboard,” Zarnegar said. “We have unexpected people that can score, which makes it hard to scout us. We have an attacking mindset.”

The Longhorns have 11 players returning for their sophomore season and seven incoming freshmen. Calling this a young team is an understatement.

“I feel strongly about the talent we have,” Kelly said. “We have talent, but so do a lot of other teams. Our chemistry will set us apart.”

Youth may hinder some programs, but Kelly is taking the opportunity to guide her youngsters both on and off the field. Outside of honing their skills, she’s building a unit that’s as close as any family.

“We care about each other,” Zarnegar said. “When we play, we’re part of the UT soccer family. We would do anything for each other.”

This mentality, more than goals scored over the course of the season, reveals the success of the new system. Kelly approached the program in phases, slowly tearing down the old mentality and building up the new.

“The first six months were about building a foundation of trust.  The next six months were about developing and understanding our philosophy. The next six months will be about cutthroat mentality,” she said.

Those are the six months the players are looking forward to this season. Smith said it best: “I’m looking forward to seeing our team.”

 

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