MONROE, La. – With only four days left until game one of the 2018 campaign, head soccer coach
Keyton Wheelock looks back on preseason camp up until this point and prepares for the upcoming season. Wheelock and her squad of 24 are working to punch their ticket to the 2018 Sun Belt Tournament, after finishing one game short in 2017.
How has the team grown from the end of last season through the spring and summer workouts?
Our kids came back with some of the best fitness scores they've ever had so I really think our spring and summer programs worked for them. It benefitted them greatly to have each other here to hold each other accountable and push through those summer workouts. The returners look a lot more comfortable on the ball and in the game.
The Warhawks enter the final week of preseason after an exhibition loss to Stephen F Austin on Friday. The loss brought to light, the teams' strength and weaknesses.
After Friday's loss, what would you say were our success and what aspects of the game do you think we need to improve on the most?
We had moments of very well thought out soccer on Friday. We showed our ability to string seven or eight passes together and release the weak side, moving our numbers forward. Defensively, we had moments where we were pressing the ball and keeping them pinned down on their own side.
As for improvements, what we're needing is to be more organized and disciplined, especially when we're sitting in on the defense. When we attack, our offense needs to work on maintaining possession and remaining calm in high-pressured situations, but that will come with time. We played a lot of our younger players on Friday so it was expected to see some of those first-time nerves on the pitch.
You mentioned that you played a heavy freshmen roster against SFA, how have they as a whole adjusted to the life of a college student-athlete? How are they contributing to the team?
As the season progresses and the newcomers settle in and relax, everything else will come naturally to them. We had some homesickness early in preseason, but I was happy to see my upperclassmen step up and help the younger girls feel at home. Our team chemistry is really flowing right now and the players, as well as the coaches, feed off that positive energy.
Three of the freshmen come from outside the United States, traveling as far as Belgium, Germany. Maelwenn Gaiffas, a freshman from France, has fit in well with Wheelock's vision for the upcoming season.
Maelween is settling in nicely and doing everything I could ask of her and more on the defense. She's having to acclimatize to this heat, as is Annelore [Mievis], I will be looking for them to sub-in for us pretty consistently. Honestly, all of our freshmen have been looking really good and with the amount of technical skill they bring to the team, there is a definitive increase in the amount of chances we can create for ourselves this season.
What is it going to take to have a successful 2018 season?
The key to having a successful season will be making sure our newcomers settled in quickly and can pick up our schemes and game-play efficiently. Because our roster is so heavily loaded with sophomores and freshmen, there's no doubt they'll see a good bit of playing time, so for the entire team to all be on the same level of competition and tactical understanding is crucial to our success.
What can fans expect to see from the returners as well as all the new faces?
[Senior, Alexandria] Skidmore has really stepped up this year as one of our captains and as a leader of this team. I'm excited to see what she brings, every day she brings more to the table and shows her versatility. I know I can rely on Alex and the other upperclassmen to embrace the leadership role and really push good communication on and off the field.
The Warhawks will kick off the 2018 season on the road, with two weekend matches, Friday at Jacksonville State and Sunday at Southern Mississippi. Fans can find links to live stats and other schedule details at ULMWarhawks.com.
