The 2016 girls soccer season will include one team with a new head coach and another with a brand-new venue to call home.

JIM THORPEBIG SHOES TO FILL... The Olympians lost eight seniors to graduation that include RuiNa Gentile, Isle Hassler, Autumn Cope, and Rebecca Cresman. Gentile was a Schuylkill League first-team selection, Hassler made second-team, while Cope and Cressman were honorable mention. Jim Thorpe had an overall record of 7-10 (5-7 SL) last year."Last year was a very athletic group with a lot of veteran leadership," said Jim Thorpe head coach Tom Condly. "The girls were comfortable in their roles, which allowed us to go into every game with a lot of confidence. We were one league win away from districts. It came down to a 1-0 overtime loss at Tamaqua."NEW IN NET... Last year's goalkeeper, Cressman, will be replaced by junior Monae Bullock. Bullock is a converted striker. Two of Thorpe's other options at goalie are injured and will not play this season.CORE FOUR ... Maggie Holloway, Camille Principe, Brooke Cope, and Lauren Donati are the returning seniors with a lot of varsity experience. Condly and his staff are optimistic that Principe could be in line for a breakout season at midfield. The remainder of the squad is inexperienced, however."We've had great practices, but we are such a young team," explained Condly. "A lot of time has been spent teaching the fundamentals of the game. We have many girls who have never played soccer before, and we are trying to get them up to speed as best as we can."WORK HARD, PLAY HARD... Condly noted that this year could be labeled as a bit of a rebuild, but it won't stop the Lady Olympians from achieving their goals."Our goal for this season is continue to work hard, have fun, and improve everyday. Ultimately, we want to be competitive in every game this season. My favorite thing about this team is how well they get along together. It's a close-knit group of girls. The older girls are really good about encouraging the newer players and helping them improve."WATCH OUT FOR... Jackie Condly (Jr., forward) is another Olympian that will be needed to make an impact. Condly also mentioned sophomores Eve Morris, Kasey Grosse, and Jayden Gahman as players that will look to make a splash in the rotation.LehightonYOUNG AND HUNGRY... Lehighton is led by seniors Rajah Quinones, Jada Whiteman, Cheyenne Pettit and Morgan Yurasits. Head coach Rich Emmert mentioned that the Indians are in a bit of a rebuilding phase."We have a young team and it will be a challenge," explained Emmert. "I think the girls are up for the task. This team is full of heart and dedication, which will keep them fighting until the end."NEW CARPETING... Lehighton will now be playing on a turf field in the brand-new Lehighton Football Stadium."Our stadium is one of the best in the area and having the ability to play on turf does allow an advantage over those who do not," said Emmert. "The play of the ball is much faster and the speed of the game also increases. What power a girl would put into passing the ball on grass is different from she would need on turf. That could lead to overshooting the intended teammate and potentially giving up possession of the ball. On the other hand, our girls have gotten better with the turf field and have shown they have the ability to use it as an advantage."FOCUSING ON DEFENSE... Emmert explained that one of the Tribes' bigger challenges will be keeping the ball out of its own net."Our largest loss will be the defensive advantage that we have had in the past," he said. "Our defensive line is all underclassmen, and getting them to the level where we are used to will be our greatest accomplishment."SUDDEN IMPACT... The Lehighton coach said there will be a first-year varsity player to look out for."Freshman Katie Aaron is a player to watch for in the upcoming season. Her ability to play any position effectively will be a great asset to this team."GOALS... "We want to improve on our record," said Emmert. "We want to train the underclassmen to play at a high school level. Their desire to learn and want to be champions is my favorite thing about them. These girls want to put in the extra mile to learn and show others what they truly are capable of doing."NORTHERN LEHIGHGOOD THINGS COME IN SMALL PACKAGES… Northern Lehigh has just 15 players on its varsity roster."We lost five seniors (two starters) and two others girls that had started last year; one couldn't play anymore due to concussions, and we lost a sophomore for the season," explained Northern Lehigh head coach Jason Reinhard. "These are great kids, tremendous young ladies, and I just hope they get the success that they deserve, and hopefully the lack of numbers doesn't catch up with us, because they work so hard to get where they are."ANCHORS AWEIGH… The Lady 'Dawgs have a collective anchor in its defensive unit. Goalkeeper Meghan Handwerk (Sr.) has over 300 career saves and will be in the net this season. Reinhard described senior defenders Sam Olewine and Kiera Shellhammer as the vocal leaders of the club. Olewine has been starting since her freshman season, while Shellhammer has been starting defensively since her sophomore year."My favorite thing is how close they are," said Reinhard. "They love each other and really want to work for each other on the field. They're not going to quit. They realize how tough it is and they dig in and work so hard for one another."FULL TOOLBOX… Junior Jill Olewine will be the main scoring threat up front. Last year, she earned second-team all-Colonial League honors and knocked home 19 goals."Jill has every tool you could want in a striker," said Reinhard. "She can finish with both feet and has exceptional speed. She's a legit sprinter for (our) track and field team and has gotten much stronger this year. Last year, teams figured out she was a little more slender, they kind of beat her up a little. She'll be much more tough this season. She's explosive. If she gets into the open field, there a few defenders that will catch her."SINK OR SWIM… Karlyna Kemery has 40-plus games of varsity experience under her belt and will be joining Olewine up front. Reinhard also mentioned that Ashley Wilk (Sr., defender) and Cailee Niebell (Jr., midfielder) will be major contributors in the 'Dawgs rotation. Many of the NL reserves have minimal or zero varsity experience."We tried to bring the fundamentals and the tactical aspect up to speed," Reinhard noted. "It's not fair to them, but the way they have to learn is getting thrown into the deep end and let them swim."NorthwesternSEVEN OF 11... Despite the loss of three Division I players from the previous year's team, the 2015 Tigers compiled a 13-5 record and made it to the Colonial League championship and the District 11 AA semifinals. Northwestern graduated starters Taylor Slack, Lydia Danner, McKenzie Divers and Haley Hebelka from last year's squad."We return seven starters," explained Tiger head coach Kelly Bleam. "We have a lot to work with in trying to further develop the team. We have that nice solid foundation to work with; we just have to build around that foundation."ALL-LEAGUERS... Returning at midfield will be Abigail Chisdak, who received All Colonial League honors last season. Up front will be forward Sara Hathaway (So.), who earned Colonial League Honorable Mention honors. Maggie Motolese (So.) and Karlie Bardonner (Sr.) will also provide scoring chances for the Lady Tigers."I think our strength is going to be good team chemistry, good leadership and good technical ability," said Bleam.DEFENSIVE STABILITY... Northwestern's defensive line will be anchored by four-year starter, Emily Renner. McKenna Amey (Jr.) will be behind her at goalkeeper.IMPACT FRESHMAN?... "The freshmen that are coming in this year were really involved in our summer training, which was really great to see," said Bleam. "I'm hopeful that we might have some help from our youth there and we can fit those girls in and build around our foundation."PLEASANT VALLEYNO PROBLEM IN THE MIDDLE... Pleasant Valley will return seniors Jamie Masullo (captain) and Skylar Driscoll at the midfield position."I'm hoping they can use some of their wisdom and give it to the younger players," said PV head coach Derek Strohl. "So when it comes time for the big games, we're not panicking and we are used to those situations. We have a good core that has played a lot."LAST YEAR... The Lady Bears won 14 games a year ago, but they lost nine seniors (six starters) to graduation. Forward Natalie Kautz (Sr.) will be counted on to do some scoring, while Morgan Covert (Jr.) will have a key role in the midfield as well."Some of them contributed a lot already as underclassmen, but there are going to be some underclassmen that will need to step up this year," Strohl said. "The girls that were first off the bench will have to step in. "All of the girls have been working hard and have great attitudes. They want to get better every day. They realize we're not where we want to be yet, and I can see them pushing each other at practice."POSTSEASON THOUGHTS... Strohl noted a few of his goals for this upcoming season. "We want to try and build off last season and be very competitive. We didn't win the division last year, (lost by one game), so one of our goals is to try and win our division. We're looking to make district playoffs and the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference tournament. We made a good run last season and we want to get back there."MOVING UP THE RANKS... The PV coach spoke highly of freshman Danielle DiMarco."I've seen her play in our middle school program, and the girls all seem to know that she's ready to play varsity," said Strohl. "I think she's ready. I can pretty much put her anywhere on the field and she's gong to make an impact. She's caught on; she knows she doesn't have to be the superstar like in middle school. She just needs to be part of the team."STRENGTHS & WEAKNESSES... Strohl mentioned that his team will need to find more scoring chances this season after losing a ton of senior firepower. However, he noted that he strongly admires his team's attitude and work ethic.TAMAQUALOST OFFENSE... Lynn Kistler and Morgan Boyle did a ton of scoring for the Lady Raiders last season. In fact, both rank among the top-10 in Tamaqua history in goals scored. Kistler scored over 40 goals in her career, while Boyle registered over 30 goals according to head coach Clem McCarroll."The big area of concern is trying to find some scoring," he said. 'We had two top-10 scorers graduate, so someone needs to step up into that void. It might be by committee."BACK FOR MORE... The Lady Raiders will bring back 11 players with varsity experience. Cailyn Joseph is a fourth-year defender, while Emma Pester has been a varsity forward for three seasons.WASTING NO TIME ... Tamaqua has seven freshmen on the varsity squad that could have a chance to make an impact as early as this season. Katelyn Rudy (midfielder), Logan Hartney (midfielder), Emma Kuczynski (forward), Jen Frederickson (defense), Emily Titus (defense), Rebekah Hromyak (midfielder), and Jamie Zuber (forward) will all look to make a difference as first-year players."We're excited with all of the youth that we have," said the Tamaqua coach. "We want to compete in every game, and I think we have a lot of talent now to give a lot of teams a run for their money. I could start six or seven freshmen, that's how good they are. They will see some time; we'll be able to plug them in."LUCKY NO. 13... Coach McCarroll is entering his 13th season as Tamaqua head coach. He has an overall record of 152-80-4 with the program."Every year we have the expectation to win our division, league and the district, whether it's realistic or not," said McCarroll. "We always shoot for that. They're so young that we have them convinced to just play one game at a time, and it will work out at the end of the season."WEATHERLYDIFFERENT POINT OF VIEW… First-year head coach Will Bartel referred to himself as 'just another Dad in the stands last year. Now, he's at the helm of the program."I have no soccer coaching experience. I am a sports nut, and a father, who stepped up because they couldn't get anybody," explained the retired New York City police officer. "Luckily for me, I'm rewarded to have the time here to come and help out and give back to the community a bit. I don't have soccer experience, but I have played hockey. I didn't come to baby-sit; we're going to push and everyone is going to do their jobs."SENIOR CITY… The Lady Wreckers feature 10 seniors. Christina Caravella, Morgan Gower, Nalani Lowman, and Lynea Reiner are the captains."I expect them to play much better than they have in years past with all of the senior leadership here," said Bartel. "They've really got on board and everything has been pretty good. It's trickled down to the younger kids. When you start facing adversity, there will be ups and downs, but they will pick themselves up and we will go on."THE ONLY EASY DAY WAS YESTERDAY… Bartel is preaching that very mantra to his team, and he noted that they are all responding."Those seniors bought in since day one. They look forward to practicing. I told them that there is only 16 games left, how do you want to go out? You better embrace it."NEW ATTITUDE… Bartel's goal was to eliminate any intimidation factor of playing the bigger schools in the district. He noted that things are trending in the right direction."When they go down to play the bigger schools, you kind of have that 'oh boy' feeling," he said. "From day one, I wanted to eliminate that feeling that they think they had already lost when they step foot on the field against them. That's gone and they're not feeling like that anymore. They have to believe and stay positive, and that they can give anyone a fight."HOME SWEET HOME… Weatherly will have a chance to play with some confidence on its own field as it opens the season with consecutive home games against Lourdes and Nativity.Mike Haines also contributed to this story.