The Oxford varsity girls soccer team kicked off their 2006 soccer season March 25 with a phenomenal win, and Head Coach John Thaler promises there will be more.
The 2-1 win against Holly produced great results from the Lady Cats, including the first goal of the season made by freshman Briana Pastewski, which was assisted by Brittany Moncrieff. They also pulled off a 3-0 win over Clio last March 22.
The team of 18 girls includes seniors Chelsea McIntosh, Lisa Reile, Jennifer Hewett, Gena Nelson, Shana Jones and Briana Wolfe.
Last year, the Lady Cats jumped from last to fourth in the Flint Metro League and are working to get even higher this season.
Thaler said the team’s goal this year is ‘to come together as a team? and win at least 10 games. They also want to bring down their biggest rivals, Brandon and Lapeer East.
‘We just want to try to up the bar a little bit, show the other teams in our league that we’re a team to be reckoned with,? he said.
Thaler said he’s counting on junior Sam Bono to continue being a strong netter, seeing as she’s been the leading goal scorer for the last few years.
‘I’m looking for a lot out of her this year,? he said. ‘She’s our go-to player.?
In addition to solid talent from his senior players, Thaler said the strength of the varsity team will be helped by underclassmen Stacey Sutphin, Olivia Stevens, Ashley Marshall, Andrea Wolfe, Jacki Patterson, Alex Johnson, Jacki Pastewski, Katherine Mitchell and goalie Kelly Henry.
‘We’re just very excited to get everything going,? Thaler said.
The Lady Cats will be hosting the Oxford Invitational on Saturday, April 8, where they will play teams like Waterford Mott, Carman-Ainsworth and Richmond.