Women’s soccer team looking for a shot at a title

On February 27, the Wakefield Women’s soccer team began another season, which happens to be their last in the Cap 8 conference. The Wolverines went 13-7-1 last year, but they were knocked out in the early stages of playoffs. There are a few key players who will not be returning this year, including Morgan Nanni who graduated early to attend UNCW on a soccer scholarship. However, there is a lot of focus on the returning seniors Meghan O’Ferral, Halee Enderle, and Christina McCartney. The girls feel good about their chances this year and are led by Head Coach CJ Komons who expects a lot out of his players.

“I expect to be successful in all aspects of the game,” Komons said. “I want the girls to train and play hard every day.”

Komons also believes his team has an abundance of talent so substitutions will not be a problem. The new underclassmen may be utilized more often this year than in previous years.

“Our strengths are our depth of talent coming off of the bench and the work ethic we have all around,” Komons said.

Although he feels strongly about his team, Komons is continuing to learn more about his squad and who will be his key players.

“It is only the first couple of weeks still, so we are still coming together as a team,” Komons said. “It is still tough to tell which positions still need work or lack depth.

Sophomore Tori Hansen, who has a full athletic scholarship to UNC Chapel Hill, likes her team’s chances at a winning season and feels content with the quality of her teammates.

“I think that we have a tremendous amount of talent and that we are going to have a great season,” Hansen said. “We have gained a lot of new players that are going to be great assets to our team.”

Komons and Hansen aren’t the only ones who feel this way. Senior Captain Christina McCartney is delighted with her team and their position going into the 2017 season.

“This year I think we have a really good chance at winning the Cap8 conference and going far in the state playoffs,” McCartney said.

McCartney feels that the team is not too different from last year, but that it may be even better.

“There aren’t any outstanding changes from last year, just the addition of many talented players,” McCartney said.

McCartney hopes her teammates can put individual issues aside for the betterment of the team.

“This year I think the team needs to focus on putting the ‘team first’ in anything we do,” McCartney said. “This is a phrase Coach CJ continuously reminds us of, making it our team motto for the year.”