Girls Soccer Season in Review: Lessons Learned from Defeat
They say that you win some and you lose some. Unfortunately for the Tyrone Girls Soccer team this season, more often than not, the result was the latter.
On Sunday, December 4 the girls gathered to reflect on the season at their annual banquet. After graduating a talented senior class the year prior, the Lady Eagles finished with a record of 4-14, missing the cut for the playoffs for the first time in four years.
Riean was the heart and soul of this team this year. One of her best qualities was her compassion. She was always putting her teammates ahead of herself and coming to me in the morning to talk about worries that she had
— Coach Tiffany Smith
The end of the season also marked the close of the careers’ of Tyrone’s two seniors, Audrey Bowser and Riean Minnich. While they will be the only two players being lost to graduation, both Bowser and Minnich offered much to their team as players and as people.
Bowser, a prolific scorer and versatile asset throughout her career, was Tyrone’s sole representative on the Mountain League’s All-Star team, garnering 2nd Team honors for the second straight season.
“Audrey was one of the best players that I’ve seen come through this program,” said coach Tiffany Smith. “She would always greet you with a smile on her face and ask you how you were doing.”
Minnich was a team captain and vocal leader both on and off the field and was always willing to do whatever her team needed.
“Riean was the heart and soul of this team this year. One of her best qualities was her compassion. She was always putting her teammates ahead of herself and coming to me in the morning to talk about worries that she had,” said Smith.
On a team dominated by underclassmen, the girls struggled to find consistency from game to game, sometimes even from half to half. They often found themselves fighting back from a first half deficit that ultimately proved to be too large. Nonetheless, the girls never gave up.
While expectations were high heading into the season, with the lose of six talented seniors a rebuilding season was almost inevitable.
And while the team may not have been conscious of the upsides of the season when it was in progress, they had moments to be proud of. Through good times and bad, the girls defined what it meant to be a team, having extra voluntary practices and always looking out for one another.
“Even though this was a difficult season, this group of girls stuck with each other, and there’s something to be said for that,” said Smith.
The future may also be bright for Lady Eagles Soccer. With a small roster, players of all levels of experience were able to gain valuable experience playing against powerhouse opponents like Central, Penns Valley, and Hollidaysburg to name a few.
And while the full extent of the seniors’ contributions to the team cannot be expressed in words, a more experienced team will take the field next year, with nine starters, including freshman goalkeeper Kelsey Johnson and leading scorer Riley D’Angelo, returning.
The team gave out five awards:
Audrey Bowser: Team MVP
Riley D’Angelo: Offensive MVP
Kelsey Johnson: Defensive MVP
Cate Baran: Most Improved Player
Riean Minnich: Sparker Award
