By Nolan Epstein
The roster may still be full of youth, but for the Marshfield Lady Jays, last year’s tribulations will likely form into drastic improvements this time around.
Last spring, Marshfield sported 16 (yes, 16) freshmen on the soccer squad – one that put up a record of 5-17 and scored more than one goal in only three games.
“We were a very young and inexperienced team with very little varsity playing time,” said head coach Paul Lewis. “At times, we had as many as seven freshman players in our starting lineup. It was tough being so young.”
Lewis, in his 11th season as head coach of the program, sees his team going from extremely young to, well, still pretty young.
Marshfield will field a strong sophomore core, along with a senior and a couple of juniors sprinkled into the mix. All told, things should be a little bit easier for Lewis and the Jays in 2017.
“We have a good year’s experience under the belt,” Lewis said. “I don’t think they’ll be as shell-shocked as they were last year. We have a few spots to fill, but I think our youth may not hurt us.”
A key for any successful high-school program is to have senior leadership, and senior forward Caitlin King will be able to provide just that. Coming off a season in which she scored a team-high 6 goals, King is the leader on the pitch and will set examples for the younger players.
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Junior midfielder Cherokee Adamski (5 goals), who has seen consistent varsity playing time from the start of her high-school career, will complement King nicely on scoring attacks and act as a vocal leader as well.
“Adamski may be our most experienced player returning,” said Lewis. “She’s been in the lineup since her freshman year.”
Sophomores Maddie Gardner and Kennedy Deckard return to try and lock down on the back line for Marshfield. Adding in sophomore forward Izzy Harrison (2 goals last year) and midfielders Payton Lafferty and Leiken Barton, also sophomores, there will be a lot of second-year players running on the pitch for Coach Lewis.
The 2017 schedule brings challenges of its own as the Lady Jays will have to go against the likes of Springfield Catholic, Branson, Bolivar and an improving Rogersville team.
Marshfield will also be participating in the Fair Grove Invitational and the Branson Tournament, and will play its final four regular-season matches on the road.
In order to compete in those games, it will be imperative for Marshfield to turn up the heat on offense.
“We have to find ways to generate scoring opportunities and find ways to score when those chances happen,” added Lewis.
The Lady Jays begin the season by partaking in the Fair Grove Invitational March 17 and 18.
