Offseason commitment key to Lady Eagles soccer success
A year round commitment to training and playing is paying dividends for the Lady Eagles soccer team
Back Row: (left to right) Hailey Durbin, Carrie Vance, Hannah Bowser, Chloe Makdad, Marissa Panasiti, Alayna Roberts, and Riean Minnich Front Row: (left to right) Cassie Friday, Anna Baran, Christina Kowalski, and Raegan Plowman
When Tiffany Smith became part of the Tyrone girls soccer coaching staff five years ago, the program had never won more than one game in a season and was struggling to compete against strong opponents in their league.
Fast forward to the most recent season, in which the Lady Eagles posted a 11-10 winning record and made an appearance in the district playoffs.
What has been the key to the girls new found success?
It has been a privilege to see the program continuing to make strides each season, not only by having a winning record, but by being able to compete in the district playoffs. The work ethic and dedication of the players over the last four season has really been the deciding factor in the transformation that the team has seen
— Asistant Coach Tiffany Smith
With lots of hard work and a year round dedication to off-season training, the Tyrone girls are playing a much higher level of soccer.
“It has been a privilege to see the program continuing to make strides each season, not only by having a winning record, but by being able to compete in the district playoffs,” said Smith, “the work ethic and dedication of the players over the last four season has really been the deciding factor in the transformation that the team has seen.”
Many of the girls are now playing soccer throughout the offseason.
The second weekend of January the girls traveled to Altoona to play in the Summit’s High School Indoor Soccer Tournament.
In this tournament the girls faced some of the toughest competition in the area. They played the Bishop Guilfoyle Lady Marauders, the Central Lady Dragons, and the Hollidaysburg Lady Tigers.
Two of these teams are current District VI champs, and the other made an appearance in the playoffs this past season.
Although the girls did not win the tournament, they were able to hold their own against each one of these teams. All three games that they lost were by a one goal deficit.
“Many of the players committed to achieving a winning season, and they went after their goals,” said Smith. “It has been a great experience watching the girls preserve through obstacles, work hard in the off season, get into the weight room, and really come together as a team, to get the program to the point it is today.”
The girls will next play in a winter indoor soccer league at the Summit from January to March.
In this league, they play some of their regular season rivals, plus many others from several different districts and leagues.
The Lady Eagles winter indoor schedule is as follows:
- Saturday, January 31st, at 7:00pm vs. Central
- Saturday, February 7th, at 8:00pm vs. Laurel Medical Solutions
- Friday, February 13th, at 7:40pm vs. Furies
- Saturday, February 21st, vs. AC United ‘98
- The following week will begin playoffs. March 7th will be the consolation and championship game
The Lady Eagles hope to see all of this hard work pay off in the fall with a second consecutive winning season and a return trip to the playoffs.
Hi! My name is Anna and I am in 12th grade. My favorite things to do are play softball and soccer. Sports are my passion. I enjoy playing all sports, whether...
