After a successful season last year and earning the title of 2015 Girls Class A State Runner-up, Orono Girls Soccer (OWS) was geared up for success this season. After a rocky start, losing four out of their first five games, OWS has recently found victory coming into sections.
Losing eleven seniors this season was a tough loss for the team and it posed lots of questions as to whether or not they would be able to work cohesively together. After losing to Wayzata (11-2-2), Benilde (11-4-1), DeLaSalle (11-2-2), and Monticello (12-4-1), it appeared as though OWS wouldn’t have as much success as their 2014 and 2015 seasons. The absence of star players such as Carly Goehring and Claire Bash posed many challenges for them at the beginning of their season.
“I think we adjusted pretty well [without last year’s seniors]. We struggled a little in the beginning because a lot of us had never played together before so it was natural that we took a little bit of time to figure out how to play as a team, but once we did, we realized how successful we could truly be even with a very new team,” senior captain Emma Sternberg said.
After losing four of their first five games, OWS made a miraculous transition and achieved a 15 game winning streak. They beat some of their biggest rival teams this year including Blake, Delano, and Waconia. OWS had a record of 15-4-0 heading into the sections games.
The three captains this season were senior Emma Sternberg (outside mid), senior Jenna Rakos (forward) and junior Leah Goehring (defense). Rakos has been on the team for four years while Goehring and Sternberg have been on it for three years. “One major thing I really wanted to create on this year’s team was great chemistry. As I became more comfortable and silly with the girls, they all did the same thing,” Rakos said.
OWS received a very talented new group of freshman this year to replace the lost seniors. New freshman players include defense players Ally Swenson and Megan Marzolf, center midfielders Anna Tesar, Riley Prueter, Sadie Koltes, and outside midfielder Lily Anderson. Clare Gagne has proven to be a standout goalie this year and has brought lots of talent and skill to OWS along with fellow goalie, senior Sammy Patterson.
“Our freshmen are a huge part of our success as a team. They came into tryouts super confident and have only improved since then. They really meshed well with the older kids and have proven to be super talented,” junior Anna Hughes said. OWS hopes this new talent will ensure them success in future seasons.
Things are not always so serious with OWS. “I really enjoy being on the team with all the funny and energetic girls and the cabin retreat is definitely a fun experience to get to know new players,” sophomore Sarah Johnston said. OWS is not only successful because of the skill of their players, but also the bond they share as well.
Unfortunately, the 2016 season came to an abrupt end at the section semi-final game when they lost to Waconia 0-2 on Saturday Oct. 15. The girls had a great season and were fortunate that they made it this far into the season despite the struggles they had early on.
