“WE FINISHED THIS FALL/SPRING SEASON as tournament champions in three of the six tournaments we played, and were finalists in the other three,” Coach Alan Oates says proudly. “We also won our D1 state league bracket and finished third in the state at D1.” Asked what he would brag about given the chance, Oates replied, “I would brag how this team never gives up — because in two of our state league games this past season we were losing and came back and won.” For the most part, the current team has been together for three to four years, but some of the players have been together since they were 9 or 10 years old. That makes for some pretty strong familiarity on each other’s habits and playing style. Coach Oates says the team is a defensively-minded counterattacking team. He adds that it also helps that the girls play together as a collective and everyone gets along great. “They’re a very close-knit group of girls.” Back row, from left: Katie Nyland, Savanna Edwards, Katie Webb, Haily Meeks, Elise Chessor, Coach Alan Oates , Ashley Grimes, Carly Bowen, Mallory Conlin, Riley Skinner Oates says they are motivated by playing Front row, from left: Alaysha Russell, Tori Pastrana, Kaitlyn Watson, Jaida Souvannaraj, Janie Hopper, Faith Adams teams they know are better than them on paper, and when the team has clear, specific goals in front of them. That desire to beat the odds, and a good game plan, has served the U18 Girls Premier well. Additionally, the players are willing to do their part to inspire their teammates. “We have two captains who do a great job of motivating both on and off the field and talking, but there are a couple other players who are great leaders on the field as well,” says Oates.
Aris FC