After their season was canceled in spring 2020, the Shorewood girls soccer team is finally back out on the field. As of May 24, the team has played seven games, winning four, losing two and ending one in a tie. The varsity team is ranked fifth in division three, just ahead of sectional rival Catholic Memorial. If the team makes it through the region and sectional qualifying process, they will head to the state tournament at Uihlein Soccer Park.

Due to COVID and the boys soccer season being moved from fall to spring, the girls soccer season began on April 26, much later than usual. Because of this, three games must be played per week to fit in the required number of games. 

Because of the increased amount of games, the team has become more injury prone than in past seasons. Several members of the varsity team have been injured from the increased intensity.

“We have had several injuries already and we kind of anticipated that a little bit going into the season, knowing the intensity and frequency of the games on the schedule,” Richards said.

While injuries have caused varsity players to be out for the season, others have stepped up to take their place, keeping the team dynamic contiguous.

“Everyone has stepped up and people have shown extreme flexibility with positions … We have not had one duplicate starting lineup for the whole season and so every game has been very different because of injuries,” said Katie Kalt, co-head coach. 

The team’s strategy to overcome the scheduling challenges is the work of Kalt and Richards. Having both been hired in August of 2019, they were able to meet some of this year’s upperclassmen but missed being able to shape their program in 2020. Many team members were excited by the new coaches’ entrance because of their new approach and greater understanding of the team dynamic.

“I’m most excited about having two female coaches because for most of my life I’ve been coached by male coaches,” said Fiona Skwierawski, junior and varsity co-captain. 

The new coaches’ approach centers around 100% focus and intensity on the field and integrity off the field. Additionally, Kalt and Richards believe that having fun in practice can lead to improved performance during games. Creating good relationships with teammates has also led to better communication on the field, something that players feel is one of their team’s strengths.

“If you’re not fun with your team, you kind of have that attitude on the field,” said Alemitu Caldart, seniors and co-captain. “Because we’re close and because we’re inclusive and all of that, we show that on the field and we’re able to talk better and communicate a lot.”

The team has many strong players returning from the 2019 season, six of whom were Woodland Conference all-conference players that year. The coaches believe that while their leadership is useful in building the program, leadership can and should be shown by everyone on the team.

“We value and we’re grateful to have so much shared leadership on the team… but really we look to everyone to lead in some way,” Kalt said.

The team hopes to win the rest of their conference games and the conference championship. Additionally, they hope to win sectionals against strong teams such as Catholic Memorial and New Berlin Eisenhower. With lofty goals to chase, the team is hoping to deliver something special this season.

“We are a very solid team and we feel comfortable playing against any team in the state,” Kalt said. “Any team we play, we’re going to make it a game.”