Lady Celts focusing on inspiration
SEPTEMBER 2015, MCNARY FALL SPORTS PREVIEW, PAGE 17
By ERIC A. HOWALD
Of the Keizertimes
The McNary High School girls varsity
soccer team had something of a rough go
of it in 2014.
Starting off the season with a new coach
and uncertain prospects, the Lady Celts
were getting outright bludgeoned by other
teams by the time the end of the season
rolled around. However, from the outset of
that season, head coach AJ Nash only want-
ed the team to remain positive despite the
struggles.
This year, he’s happy to report the team
survived mostly unscathed.
“We got wins when we were supposed
to and we kept games close when we were
supposed to,” Nash said. “This year we’re fo-
cusing on leadership and fi tness.”
That might seem like a relatively simple
thing to accomplish, but Nash has high
expectations for everyone on the team,
including the nine freshmen added to the
varsity roster.
“All the girls have the directive that even
if they are the last person coming off the
bench on our depth chart, their job is to
inspire at least one other player on the fi eld
already,” Nash said.
The girls will be fi elding a healthy mix
of players from grades nine through 12. The
competition within the program has sky-
rocketed as a result and pushed veterans of
the team to new levels.
“I think it will mean we win more games,
and it’s fun to see so many girls coming out
GIRLS SOCCER
ROSTER
SCHEDULE
Sept. 4 vs. Crescent Valley, 5 p.m.
Sept. 8 at Benson Polytechnic, TBD
Sept. 10 vs. Dallas, 3:30 p.m.
Sept. 15 at Central, TBD
Sept. 17 vs. Newberg, 3:30 p.m.
Sept. 22 vs. Roosevelt, 5 p.m.
Sept. 25 vs. North Salem, 4 p.m.
Oct. 2 at West Albany, 4 p.m.
Oct. 6 vs. McKay, 7 p.m.
Oct. 8 at McMinnville, 4 p.m.
Oct. 13 at Forest Grove, 7 p.m.
Oct. 16 at West Salem, 4 p.m.
Oct. 20 vs. South Salem, 7 p.m.
Oct. 23 at Sprague, 4 p.m.
KEIZERTIMES/Eric A. Howald
McNary’s Cassidy Brunkal challenges a teammate for control of the ball during a scrimmage at
the Celts’ annual Blue Day celebration.
for the team,” said Kelli Miller, a senior.
While changes within the Celtic ranks
are one thing, sophomore Jessy Shore said
changes in other teams are likely to make a
difference, too.
“Some of the other teams lost a lot of
seniors which means the competition is go-
9 - Kelli Miller
7 - Michaela Sanchez
10 - Jessy Shore
6 - Brianna Koch
13 - Kayla Evans
ing to be a lot more even throughout the
league,” Shore said.
While changes on other teams are be-
yond the Celtics’ sphere of infl uence, the
McNary team has done a good job of clean-
ing up the things that needed work after last
season, said senior Michaela Sanchez, who
3 - Abigail Smith
19 - Katy Wyatt
16 - Kolbie Kopp
18 - Abigail Hawley
4 - Brooke Burrows
11 - Cassidy Brunkal
5 - Abi Rodriguez
2 - Jenna Candland
17 - Natalia Gonzalez
22 - Katelyn Tallon
marks her fourth season as a varsity player.
“We have a lot better ball control this
year and we are making better passes. I
think it’s the result of a more united team
on and off the fi eld,” she said. “I’m looking
forward to going all out and going out with
a bang.”
Senior Brianna Koch said the team is
also doing a better job of communicating,
but she sees some of the low points last sea-
son as lessons to use moving forward.
“The big thing we have to do is talk and
not get discouraged,” Koch said. “When we
had bad games last season, you could see
everybody breaking down more and more.
This time around, if we’re losing, I want to
see us pick it up and get back on the ball.”
14 - Janie Jarmin
0 - Sydney Snapp
15 - Isabella Heath
8 - Gina Munguia
99 - Jazzlyn Lark
20 - Emalee Denhem
23 - Emma Garland
0 - Scarlett Working
21 - Cailin Johansen
8 - Serina Garci
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