Co-op soccer team starts faster in year two

The Ozaukee/Random Lake High School co-op girls’ soccer team comes into the season a leg up compared to where it was last year.

Now in the second year of combining squads, many players already know each other and have become friends on a team that went 16-5-1 last season.

The team also returns three all-conference players. Kamrin Kunz scored 10 goals and had four assists in being named to the Big East first team. Reese Prom, with  14 goals and four assists, and defensive leader Chloe Dybul both were named to the second team.

The team lost Caitlyn Wyeker, who earned Big East honorable mention last season, to graduation. She had two goals and led the squad with eight assists.

A new coach takes over, but he’s plenty familiar with soccer at the schools. Boys’ co-op coach Matt Wilson is handling the girls program after Eric Paulus coached the first year of the combined team.

“Now that the ladies had a year to adjust to the combined team, I think they will have a better idea of how heavy the competition is for spots and be a little bit more mentally prepared for what lies ahead,” Wilson said.

“We have a lot of girls that are playing in the offseason for club teams and getting extra work and touches to improve, which is really great to see.”

A total of 37 girls are in the program, including 13 freshmen, meaning the program will continue to develop.

“We will have no problems being able to fill both a varsity and a junior varsity squad, which will help the younger less-experienced players find time on the field and give them an opportunity to keep building on their skills and knowledge of the game,” Wilson said.

He wants his team to focus only on what it can control.

“I would say the biggest challenge will be getting the girls to understand that the only thing in this world you can control is yourself, and it’s not just the girls but it’s every athlete. I want them each to work hard and test themselves until they fail, then get up and go after it again,” Wilson said.

“Each girl up to this point thinks they know their limits. It’s time to push those limits and exceed them just so they can see they’re only limited by the amount of work they are willing to put in both physically and mentally. Don’t get me wrong, these girls work hard and I love their dedication to the sport, but in the end one team is stronger than 37 individual players. If they can understand that and just grind, then they are setting themselves up for a successful season.”

The team ended last season ranked ninth in Division 4, according to the Wisconsin Soccer Coaches Association. The team won a regional title by beating Oostburg, 1-0, in overtime in the rain before losing to state champion and conference rival Cedar Grove-Belgium.

The Big East returns loaded, with Cedar Grove-Belgium inundated with talent, Sheboygan Lutheran/Christian ranked 1 in Division 4 and Howards Grove ranked 6. In the playoffs, however, Cedar Grove-Belgium has been bumped to Division 3, opening the door for another team to make a deep run.

“I would say our main competition for winning a (conference) title is the state champs Cedar Grove. They have a great program over there and a great coaching staff to go with it,” Wilson said.

“Having said that, we lost to Sheboygan Christian/Lutheran last year, which ended up ranked fourth in state, and tied Oostburg. We won’t be sleeping on any team in our conference this season. I’ve seen what can happen in nine months and teams can improve a lot. These girls will have to play every game like it’s the best competition they have ever seen so they are always on their toes.”

The team faced tough tests early, losing at Division 1 Menomonee Falls, 6-0; tying Division 3 Grafton at 3; and losing at Division 3 Port Washington, 2-1.

Against Port, the temperature was 31 degrees at the start. Port took a 1-0 lead, but Kunz tied the game in the first half.

Port netted the game-winner in the second half.

Wilson was missing starters Reese Prom and Neumann, so freshman Lexi Wilson and Abby Depies filled in well.

“You could see them get stronger as the game went on and start to get comfortable with the older, more-experienced girls around them. Those two freshmen among others are going to be major contributors for this team moving forward so it was nice to get them some quality experience early in the season,” Wilson said.

He would have liked to see more balls find the back of the net.

“We need to get better in our corner attack. There have been plenty of opportunities to finish on those but we just aren’t putting them in the back of the net yet,” Wilson said.

The team got the offense going at Wayland Academy in warm weather on Saturday in a 9-0 win in 60 minutes.

Reese Prom had five goals. Kunz, Faith Wilson, Lexi Wilson and Chesney Mayer each had one. Mia Evraets had two assists, and Mayer and Madie Prom each had one.

“Everything improved this game. We held possession, and the midfield and forwards went into attack mode and never looked back. I saw a major improvement on our offensive attack between corner kicks and how and when we were placing our through balls. Our communication on the field was much better also,” Wilson said.

The team hosts Central Wisconsin Christian on Thursday, April 17, plays at Mayville on Tuesday, April 22, and plays at Kohler on Thursday, May 24.