Springing into soccer season
The Cedar Shoals boys and girls soccer teams held tryouts on Jan. 27-28, with the boys holding tryouts Jan. 29 as well.
During the boys tryouts, students were assigned numbers and sorted into groups according to skill level. The two boys groups split between the fields and started different drills to evaluate skills.
First-year head coach Benoît D’Astous found that tryouts were very helpful in finding out how the team worked as one and collaborated with each other.
“Being a first year head coach here, [tryouts] allow me to see all the guys that are within this certain environment. I’ve seen them play at the club level, but being able to see them all together, I get to see the chemistry,” D’Astous said.
Junior midfielder Ever Barrera feels that keeping practice slightly competitive while doing drills helps to keep them motivated and in the game.
“Every day there’s new competition, you have to keep trying your hardest every day and the coaches help you through the trials that give you advice,” Barrera said.
Unlike the boys, the girls held tryouts on the main stadium field. They worked on drills and did some smaller mini games, with coaches taking them through a game discussing gameplay and giving criticisms as the games went on. First-year girls head coach Nick Miller feels small corrections were an important aspect to focus on.
“Tryouts helped me by seeing everybody’s strengths and weaknesses, kind of seeing what we have to get better at as the year goes on. It’s kind of a first look. It gives you an idea of what’s going on,” Miller said.
Additionally, the girls begin their practices by running a half lap around the track, then splitting into two large groups to practice passing and communication. The drills and skills they focus on not only help with game play, but also promoting teamwork and camaraderie on and off the field.
“I feel like I’ve made a lot of friends, and I’ve definitely improved from last year and this year. Last year I didn’t play a lot, but hopefully I will this year,” sophomore defender Trinity Leach said.
Both coaches also focused on finding out more about the players’ personalities. While some athletes have played soccer together for years, others are new to the team, and the coaches want to focus on building a strong community.
“Before anything else I want to make sure that I have good people on my team. I think the athletic portion is pretty straightforward, but what I look for most is the balance of being a good person,” D’Astous said.
