JIM THORPE

Head coach Tom Condly (First year)Assistant coaches Willie Macek (First year), Dani Condly (First year)League Schuylkill LeagueClassification AALast year's record 8-10Key losses The Olympians graduated 8 of 11 starters from last season.Key returnees Cat Condly (Jr., F/MF), Alyssa Dachowicz (Sr., D), Alyssa Smith (So., M/GK), Amber Castillo (Jr., D).Others to watch Autumn Cope (Fr., F/GK), Rebecca Cressman (Fr., F/GK).Strengths The 2012 Lady Olympians are all about team. They are a very close group with a lot of spirit and determination. They have been working hard and are excited to represent their school. The veterans have shown great leadership helping out with the group of 11 freshman. There is a lot of great young talent and with a record 29 girls playing, there will be both a JV and Varsity.Weaknesses With only 1 senior, the biggest weakness is a lack of varsity experience. As the program enters it's 5th year of existence, the group that came through the program over the first 4 years have now graduated. That leaves only 3 returning starters. That lack of experience will be a challenge.Quotable "It's a young team and they have a lot of fun together. The girls are extremely passionate about soccer and are eager to play, but they realize it's going to take time to get to where they want to be. This season the coaching staff isn't focusing as much on the wins and losses as we are about teaching the girls to play the game. We expect to see a lot of improvement over the course of the season, but we need to be patient.," Head coach Tom CondlyLEHIGHTONHead coach Amanda DietzAssistant coaches Stephen Hampton (first year)League Mountain Valley ConferenceClassification AALast year's record 5-12-1Key losses Casey Andrews (F)Key returnees Amanda Acabou (Sr., F), Allison Andrew (So., MF), Kayla Troutman (Jr., GK)Others to watch noneStrengths The mid-field is a strong suit for the Indians this season and they have shown great determination in coach Dietz's physically demanding system.Weaknesses The Indians have a lot of first time soccer players on the squad so a lot of the team is new to the sport. Also the Indians need to improve on their comditioning if they want to stay competitive in the MVC.Quotable "Of course my goal is for us to be competitive and at least have a .500 record. They have shown me that they are determined in learning the game and are very coachable. They all have hearts of gold and will work as hard as they can to become better soccer players," Head coach Amanda Dietz.NORTHERN LEHIGHHead coach Jason Reinhard (Second season)Assistant coaches Patty JonesLeague Colonial LeagueClassification AALast year's record 3-14-1 overall (2-11 CL)Key losses Morgan Kemmerer, Kaylee Owens, Brooke Wagner, Marissa Fatzinger, Rachel Wagner, Taryn Kemmerer, Jackie Taylor, Meghan Weil, Kayla BreinsingerKey returnees Morgan Kravetz (Sr. F), Megan Kutchera (Sr., DEF), Brook Seyler (Jr., GK), Rachel Pappas (Jr., DEF), Sam Eden (Jr., DEF), Becca Owens (Jr., F), Morgan Zellner (Jr., F), Jesse Lear (Jr., F), Emily Bevans (So., F), Erin Fleischmann (So., DEF)Others to watch Amber Kibler (Sr., MID), Erika Krawchuk (Sr., F), Lexie Merkle (Fr., MID)Strengths Regardless of taking a hit in the lineup because of graduation, Reinhard stated its surprising to see the amount of experience that return's from last year's Bulldogs' squad. He added that all of them have seen a significant amount of playing time from a year ago. Reinhard also added that that every single one of his Bulldog players this year play hard for each other. They just don't play for themselves, they play hard for each other.Weaknesses Reinhard is concerned with depth on his lineup card. His Bulldogs' roster only consists of 18 bodies, in which only 16 of them are only capable of playing competitively at this moment. Numbers may get short this season for the Bulldogs.Quotable "Right now, I'm really happy. I never had a team that worked so hard during the off-season and pre-season. They have definitely bonded well in playing together towards a common goal," Head coach Jason Reinhard.NORTHWESTERNHead coach Kelly Bleam (15th season)Assistant coaches Aurie LundquistLeague Colonial LeagueClassification AALast year's record 20-3 overall (13-0 CL)Key losses Nicole Lach, Emily Bartlett, Haylee Kubat, Michaela Lacek, Beth Pierce, Lorraine Feinour, Rachel KesterKey returnees Anna Fricchione (Sr., F), Sara Jones (Sr., M), Grace baker (Jr., D), Abbey Schneck (Jr., D), Jennifer Hallingstad (Jr., F/M), Sarah Segan (So., F), Sabrina Mertz (So., M), Angela Motolese (So., M)Others to watch Caity Harris (Sr., F), Alexis Gawelko (So., M), Rachel Fisher (So., M), Elizabeth Iobst (So., M/D)Strengths The Tigers return a lot of starters from a team that went undefeated in the league last year. Seniors Jones and Fricchione have a lot of experience in the midfield and up front. Baker and Schneck have anchored the backfield for two years. The Tigers' sophomore class, which saw three players earn starting time last year, is as experienced as a 10th-grade class can be and has blended right in with the more experienced players.Weaknesses Graduating Kester, an All League defender, will hurt. Kubat, another All League selection, will also be missed, along with the rest of a large senior class. The team will also need to stay healthy. Injuries late last season hurt Northwestern's playoff chances.Quotable "The potential is there for us to play a high level of soccer. I'm hoping every day that injuries and ilnesses don't plague us during the postseason like they did last year," Head coach Kelly Bleam.PALMERTONHead coach Mark Weiss (First year)Assistant coaches Whitney Dabiak (First year), Dawn Burke (First year).League Colonial LeagueClassification AALast year's record NAKey losses NAKey returnees Sabrina Strauch (Sr., MF), Jenna Creed (Jr.,F), Brooke Horn (Sr., D), Kylee Blasial (Sr., F).Others to watch Brynn Doughtery (Fr., F), Jaclyn Wood (So., F), Monica Wood (Fr., MF).Strengths The Bombers have built solid chemistry heading into 2012. They work well together and Weiss expects them to use their skill in ball handling and passing to their advantage this season.Weaknesses The Bombers are young and have a lot of inexperience on the roster. It will take a strong showing from the few upper classman the Bombers have for them to be successful this season.Quotable "I expect us to come out of the season with a winning record. Our seniors have been doing a good job of leading the charge and it shows in our play on the field," Head coach Mark WeissPLEASANT VALLEYHead coach Timothy Hinton (Fifth season)Assistant coaches Derek Strohl (Fifth season)League Mountain Valley ConferenceClassification AAALast year's record 17-6-1Key losses Sarah Elmontacir, Sam Boyd, Theresa Cimino, Laura Heckelman, Katie Forte, Hannah Berneir, Amy Sokolowski, Jen O'Neil.Key returnees Emily Scholgel (Sr, F), Diana Connor (Sr, F), Maria Cimino (Sr, MID), Kayla Krisbaugh (Sr, D), Amber Skworzow (Sr, D), Gabby Lucchese (Jr, D), Janelle Pastrana (Jr, GK), Emma Sabobic (Jr, MID).Others to watch Aubrey Aldinger (Jr, MID), Keri Dekmar (Jr, F), Haley Parks (Jr, GK), Caitlin Smith (Jr, MID), Victoria Wiesmith (Jr, D), Kristin Hanson (So, MID), Rachael Steinmack (So, MID), Erin Sharp (Fr, MID), Erica Neff (Fr, D).Strengths The Lady Bears will once again be a force on the offensive side of the ball as they have the core of their offensive playmakers returning in 2012.Weaknesses It's the opposite on the defensive end as Pleasant Valley lost their starting goal keeper and three defenders from last year's post season squad.Quotable "Offensively we are going to be really strong and I expect to us to score some goals this season. On defense we just have gain experience as the season moves on and we need to play defense as a team." Head coach Timothy HintonTAMAQUAHead coach Clem McCarroll (Ninth season)Assistant coaches Courtney McCarroll, Ken Mateyak, Amanda PetersLeague Schuylkill League Division IClassification AALast year's record 13-4 overall (10-2 SL Div. I)Key losses Kayla Hope, Chey BatesKey returnees Taylor Gerber (Sr., D), Mackenzie Heisler (Jr., MID), Angelica Heisler (Sr., D), Rachel Jones (Jr., MID), Kori Kabilko (Sr., F), Brynn Lehatto (Sr., MID), Kaleigh Rabenold (Jr., F), Kailee Rottet (Sr., MID), Alex Wagner (Sr., MID)Others to watch Allison Amodeo (Fr., MID), Morgan Boyle (Fr., GK), Taylor Fritz (Fr., D), Lynn Kistler (Fr., F), Carly Sassman (So., GK)Strengths The Blue Raiders return some superb talent on both sides of the field this season. Last year's leading scorer Kailee Rottet, who scored 25 goals from the midfield position a year ago, returns for her fourth, and final, season with the program. The returning First Team All-State player, as Rottet was the first junior from Tamaqua to achieve the honor, has 62 goals on her career, which is third on the school's All-Time list. And, on the opposite side of the field, the Blue Raiders welcome back senior defenders Kori Kabilko, Angelica Heisler and Taylor Gerber to handle the brunt of the opposition's attack. All three are back for their third year in the backfield. Plus, McCarroll is glad to have the leadership of nine seniors, in which six are returning starters on the field.Weaknesses The Blue Raiders take a hit in front of the cage as they need someone to step in to fill the void of Chey Bates, who handled the goalkeeper position the last few years. Bates holds the school's All-Time shutout record with 29 career shutout, in which she accounted seven as a senior last season. Plus, McCarroll would like to find another scoring option to help compliment Rottet on the competitive field. So, he would like to see another scorer develop from this year's roster.Quotable "We definitely have the hardest schedule we ever had with spring soccer moving to the Fall. With the move, we are playing some of those school. But, we want to shoot for the division, league and district title as that's always a goal for us each year. However, we have some tough competition ahead of us. So, we definitely have our work cut out for us this season," Head coach Clem McCarrollWEATHERLYHead coach Chelsea Michaelsko (First year)Assistant coaches noneLeague Schuylkill LeagueClassification AKey returnees Sarah Heister (Sr., F), Alexis Boyarski (Sr., D, MF), Erin Doughtery (Sr., F), Miranda White (Sr., D), Kali Coll (Sr., GK), Rachael Moon (Jr., MF).Others to watch Meghan Moon (Fr., MF), Jackie Klinger (Sr., F).Strengths The senior group for the Wreckers is a definite strong point heading into the season. The Wreckers also expect to be strong on the defensive and offensive end this season.Weaknesses Weatherly will need to improve in the mid field heading into 2012. Weatherly also isn't very deep after the senior group so it's important for Weatherly's upper-classman to stay healthy thoughout the year.Quotable "We expect to have an excellent season. There is no reason that I can see why we would not make it to the post season. This is a dedicated group of girls who have worked hard this off-season. I feel like in the past we have always had the talent here, the girls just didn't apply their skills in the right spots. We have definitely done our best to correct that and were focused on playing well," Head coach Chelsea Michaelsko