Women’s Soccer Hungry for Next Season

Sullivan, Andy

To say the Lady Spartans enjoyed a successful season last year would be an understatement. It was an historic year that brought the team to the first Final Four appearance, one win shy of the national championship game.

Offseason workouts are now underway and the ladies are already back at work preparing to make another title run next season. But it’s hard to move past such an impressive season as the 2006 campaign, and the team still relishes the excitement it brought.

“It was great to get there. We’d love the opportunity to get back there again,” said coach Bobby Johnston. “We took a lot of pride getting to that point.”

The team’s run translated into a lot more attention being brought to the University. Behind Johnston and assistant coach Edmundo Rodriquez, the women’s soccer program has been built into a powerhouse. Johnston appreciates the added recognition.

“Word has gotten out and the reputation of the University has helped us,” he said. “We definitely have a lot of players who are interested in coming here.”

The recruitment process is going smoothly for the team so far. Already key players are making the commitment to make UT their collegiate choice.

“We’ve got a couple of players from out of state that can make contributions right away,” said Johnston. “We don’t want to miss a beat next year.”

The recent spring workouts are in session, and the team is hard at work. Despite a tremendous season, Johnston always sees room for improvement. The team is working on keeping in good shape, clearing the ball defensively and fine-tuning an already potent offensive machine.

The Lady Spartans also are managing life without key players such as forward Samantha Robinson and defender Malana Winskas, both of whom will be graduating this May. New players are being called upon to fill in these spots and maintain the success they brought to the squad.

“We’re spending a lot of time with our new players,” said Johnston. “We’re trying to get our defense acclimated to new personnel and working on different shapes and formations.”

All the early preparation done during this time is to have the team fully prepared when the season starts up again next fall. A run at a championship is something the team feels is well within their grasp.

“The players learned a lot from the experience and hopefully we can get back there,” said Johnston.