Kicking Into the Season
Kick off to the 2022 soccer season has officially begun and the competition is heating up.
![Shoot, Score! - Wakeland girls varsity beat Reedy High School 2-0. "[Reedy] was very motivated, so we really had to step up this game. We had to get hype before the game, because we knew it was going to be a challenge," girls varsity player senior Linae Bezdek said. Wakeland girls varsity will be playing Independence High School this Fri. at 5:30 p.m. at Wakeland.](https://wakelandaccess.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Screen-Shot-2022-01-19-at-1.37.59-PM.png)
Shoot, Score! – Wakeland girls varsity beat Reedy High School 2-0. “[Reedy] was very motivated, so we really had to step up this game. We had to get hype before the game, because we knew it was going to be a challenge,” girls varsity player senior Linae Bezdek said. Wakeland girls varsity will be playing Independence High School this Fri. at 5:30 p.m. at Wakeland.
After qualifying as State Finalists in the 2021 season, Wakeland Soccer boys and girls are prepared and ready to dominate the field again.
Not only did both teams qualify for the State Finals, but the boys came out on top as State Champions.
In order to bring back that same energy, the teams have been preparing for their season off and on the field.
“We have been doing lots of working out and staying in shape during the off-season to make sure we could handle the games, as well as work on the ball to make sure our touch was on point. We also did lots of team building activities to make sure we had the right chemistry to play well,” boys varsity player senior Nate Bowman said.
Both the teams have been utilizing extra time in the summer to prepare for the season by working hard in the weight room and participating in team bonding activities.
“We’re planning to do team dinners each week so that we can really get to know each other off the field, and we’re pretty much all friends in school too so we hang out in our classes,” girls varsity player junior Ella Abati said.
“A lot of us hang out every weekend and we go play soccer at random parks a lot, but we also will sometimes go to someone’s house and watch football or a UFC fight together to just build a bond that will help us on the field,” Bowman said.
While the COVID-19 pandemic has limited some team bonding activities over the past few years, the teams still manage to keep their chemistry good on and off the field.
“We still do not do as much team bonding as a few years ago with COVID, but our team has some of the best chemistry on and off the field. We just brought the newbies into that spirit and our team chemistry is amazing,” girls varsity player senior Drew Stover said.
Wakeland is known to be tough competition, so teams in the 5A District are well practiced and prepared to give our teams a challenge.
“It’s exciting. Every team comes out harder to play us because they know who we are,” boys varsity player senior Kyle Davis.
Although a new season comes with excitement, rough starts are always a beginner for sports teams. Whether it is new players or an unfamiliar technique, Wakeland always seems to come through.
“We kind of got off to a rough start in the pre-season, but we figured it out and are now killing it in districts which is what we needed. So, it’s going really well now,” Bowman said.
With the season’s progression, both teams have a goal of making it back to State.
“As a team our goal is to get back to State and win it, and also just to have a fun, successful season,” Abati said.
“[Our goal is] to win another District, then the State Championship,” Davis said.
While the season is just beginning, Wakeland Soccer is ready to dominate the field and eventually make it to the State Championship.