The women have competed in games against other schools during the “off” season, including a home game on Wednesday, April 22, against Trevecca Nazarene University.
“I am excited to play in our spring game,” said Honeye Heydari, junior nursing major and center forward. “It is kinda sad though because it will be my last spring game ever.”
The team is working with fewer players at the present time due to graduating seniors who are no longer active on the team along with some injured players.
“With the spring, we go in with a different mindset,” said Isaac Brooks, head women’s soccer coach. “We’ve been trying to work on a few specific things during the spring, so spring games: they are more or less exhibitions.”
“More importantly, I hope that every girl has learned to trust God more and more in every situation,” Brooks said. “Our pursuits are empty without Christ’s sacrifice on the cross.”
The spring season allows the team along with their competitors to improve different areas, using games almost as practice times, Brooks said.
It also gives Brooks the opportunity to test the individual players’ strengths by trying the girls in different positions for effective placements in the fall.
This coming fall with new players and this year’s seniors no longer on the team, a new team personality will develop, Brooks said. This spring allows for that transition to go smoothly.
The team has been working on spacing of players on the field, improvement in scoring and creating a high-pressure defense, Brooks said.
“If we do all those in the fall, we’ll be a good team,” Brooks said.
“I think the whole mindset of the spring was [to] improve on everybody’s weaknesses, so that when fall comes around we will be better in some aspect of our game,” Heydari said.
The girls preparation has also included practicing three times a week along with doing weight training three times a week, Heydari said.
