Soccer is back.

But before we return to the pitch, let's take a look at the eight soccer teams in the Times News coverage area.Follow the Times News on Twitter and Facebook for updates on all of your soccer news throughout the year.JIM THORPESTRONG CORE... The Lady Olympians return an experienced group in seniors Monae Bullock, Jac Condly, Alyssa Dulski, Noelle Fasoline, Sarah Gabel, Taylor Huth and Eve Morris, along with juniors Brielle Long, Jayden Gahman and Kasey Grosse. Jim Thorpe head coach Tom Condly is counting on the unit to help the team improve on last year's 3-13-2 record and contend in the Schuylkill League. "We return several key starters and have added some high energy freshmen players. With solid leadership from the seniors, this team is looking to improve on last season's record and ultimately make it to the playoffs," said Condly, who is entering his sixth year as Jim Thorpe's head coach.STEPPING UP... Those underclassmen Condly is expecting to contribute are juniors Amber Nace, Sarah Rosenberger and Shannon Hogarty, sophomores Brianna Monahan, Kayla Renode, Kylee Dulski and Kristen Scott, and freshmen Lydia Wallace, Heidi Washel and Madison Racine. "We have a good mix of veteran players and new young talent. Overall, it is an athletic group with good speed and a lot of depth at the midfield position," Condly noted.GROWING PAINS... While Jim Thorpe has plenty of returning players and newcomers to count on, Condly acknowledged losing veterans like Camille Principe, Lauren Donati, Maggie Holloway and Brooke Cope will be hard to replace. "A young lineup sometimes leads to on-field mental mistakes, which can be costly in tight games," Condly said.HEALTHY RETURNS... With good health on their side, Condly is optimistic about the Lady Olympians' chances this season. "We suffered through a lot of injuries last season, so first and foremost, we are hoping the girls stay healthy this season. And if that happens, we feel like we have a good chance of making the playoffs," said Condly.LEHIGHTONIN CHARGE... John Henne takes over as the Lady Indians' head coach this season. Henne was the Times News Boys Soccer Player of the Year from 1998-00 while at Tamaqua. Henne's assistant coaches will be Nick Hill and Cristina Bueti.SOLID FOUNDATION... Henne likes what he has with seniors Julia Frey, Thera Hibbler, Alyssa Matika, Channel Baez, Chelsea Eckhart, Aryana Phillips and Savana Serfass, along with juniors Haley Nahf, Amanda Mathisen, Amya Quinones, and sophomores Katie Aaron and Jessica Mabus returning. "This year's team has a solid core and should be strong, especially in the midfield," Henne noted. Seniors Aubrey Blasiak and Lauren Serbel, along with junior Alexandra Hydro, are also expected to play a major role on the team this season to help Lehighton compete in the Schuylkill League.FILLING THE VOID... Freshmen Ashley Marchessault, Hailee Hall and Kelsey Gaston will be counted on to help offset the loss of Jada Whiteman and Raja Quinones to graduation. Without great depth, Henne is hoping to get contributions from throughout the lineup to improve on last season's 5-10-2 mark. "A light roster will make a challenge to keep fresh legs on the field," Henne said.POSITIVE OUTLOOK... Henne has high hopes for his first season leading the Lady Indians. "It's hard not to believe in a group of girls with this skill set and work ethic. I see great things on the field, and as long as we continue to work hard and play as a team, good things will happen. A shot at the postseason and an improvement in overall record is attainable," Henne said.NORTHERN LEHIGHIMPACT PLAYERS... Head coach Jason Reinhard will be leaning on seniors Jill Olewine, Cailie Niebell and juniors Abby Merkle, Lexi Meckes and Katie Yesik to help the Lady Bulldogs improve on last year's 5-13 record.LOOKING FOR HELP... Reinhard, entering his seventh season as Northern Lehigh's head coach, will need to find players to replace Karlyna Kemery, Sam Olewine, Meghan Handwerk, Kiera Shellhammer, Ashley Wilk and Maddie Holzheuser. "We lost six starters, so we have to find a way to replace those girls. The returning girls have worked hard all summer, and we hope that translates into success," Reinhard said.MULTI-TALENTED... Olewine also excels in basketball and was the Times News Female Track and Field Athlete of the Year this past spring.CLOSE CALL(S)... The Lady Bulldogs, who went 2-11 in Colonial League play, suffered several close setbacks last season. Reinhard is hoping the team will learn from that experience and reverse its fortune in tight contests this year. "We're working to compete in every game. The girls lost several close games last year, and we hope we've gained the ability to have more success in those games," Reinhard noted.NORTHWESTERNLOOKING FOR MORE... Northwestern is coming off a 15-5-1 season in which it advanced to the Colonial League and District 11 Class 2A semifinals. The Tigers want to take another step forward this year. "We want to stay focused on team, not individual accomplishments, and improve every practice and game to be competitive and play at our fullest potential for the postseason," said Northwestern head coach Kelly Bleam.KICKING IN... The Tigers return a strong group of players that gained valuable postseason experience a year ago. Senior defender Abby Chisdak, junior midfielder Maggie Motolese, junior forward Sara Hathaway, senior midfielder Jessie Williamson, senior defender Brandi Feinour, senior defender Madison Humes, senior goalkeeper McKenna Amey and sophomore midfielder Bailey Groff should be even better with a year of experience of under their belt.HEAD OF HER CLASS... Chisdak was the Times News Girls Soccer Player of the Year last season after tallying 12 goals and nine assists in 2016. Chisdak is a three-year starter for the Lady Tigers.MILESTONE... This will be Bleam's 20th season as Northwestern's head coach.PALMERTONSECOND TIME AROUND... Craig Wrigglesworth is entering his second season as the Blue Bombers' head coach. Palmerton was 5-11-11 overall and 3-9-1 in the Colonial League in 2016.PIECES OF THE PUZZLE... Wrigglesworth has an experienced group of players returning, led by senior midfielder Destiny Mokshefski, junior midfielder Mia Fantasia, junior defender Madison Martinez, sophomore defender Chloe Oldt, junior midfielder Natalie Matsko, senior forward Jenna Blynn, sophomore goalkeeper Kyla Brown and senior defender Skye Klotz. Also returning is senior midfielder Izabel Ruzika.BUILDING BLOCKS... With so many returning players, Wrigglesworth is hoping to build on what the team established a year ago. "I expect our midfield to be the strongest it has ever been. We're looking to keep a similar style of play but with a higher level of technical ability which has been a focus in preseason," Wrigglesworth said.YOUTH MOVEMENT... Palmerton will also benefit from an influx of young talent this season, something Wrigglesworth thinks will translate to positive results on the field. "With only one graduating senior from last season and 10 incoming freshmen this year, we have good numbers to work with. Our incoming freshmen have good club team experience and should make a positive impact to the team," Wrigglesworth noted.PLEASANT VALLEYMIX AND MATCH... The Lady Bears return a number of players who have varsity playing experience in seniors Morgan Covart, Sara Coyle, Taylor Merklin Mikaela Miller, along with junior Faith D'Amato and sophomore Danielle DiMarco. "We are looking forward to another successful season and competing for division, league and district titles," said Pleasant Valley head coach Derek Strohl.PLENTY OF OPTIONS... In addition to the experienced group returning, Strohl also will be counting on juniors Alexa Clark, Brianna Clark, Kelly Whalen and freshmen Teah Cardoza, Aurora Cruci, Schyler Herman, Larissa Mulligan and Rylee Robinson this season. "Our defense and overall team depth and versatility will be a strength this season," Strohl said.CLOSING IT OUT... Though Pleasant Valley posted a solid 12-5-3 record last season and qualified for the District 11 Class 4A playoffs, Strohl noted one of the team's weaknesses was "finishing." That task only becomes harder in the always competitive Eastern Pennsylvania Conference.MOVING FORWARD... Strohl likes what he's seen from his veterans and the underclassmen, something that should bode well for the Lady Bears this season. "All the girls are entering the preseason with a great work ethic and positive attitude. This team will be relying on our senior leaders to guide us throughout the season. We will be successful if we believe in each other and continue to grow as a team," Strohl commented.TAMAQUAKEYS TO SUCCESS... The Raiders return a great deal of talent from last year's squad, which posted an 8-8-3 record. Emma Kuczynski enjoyed a breakout freshman campaign in 2016 as Tamaqua's leading scorer. Also back are sophomores Jamie Zuber, Katelyn Rudy (All-League midfielder), Rebekah Hromyak, Jen Frederickson, Emily Titus; juniors Kayla Sherry (second-leading scorer) and Lizzy Wagner; and seniors Shanna Brinkworth, Kristin Jones, Alyssa Campomizzi, Angela Ceci and goalie Flo Rios. All are either returning starters or were key backups who gained varsity experience last season. "Our top-four scorers last year were three freshmen (Kuczynski, Zuber, Rudy) and a sophomore (Sherry), so we feel our midfielders and forwards should be a strength with another year experience," said Tamaqua head coach Clem McCarroll, who is entering his 14th season at the helm.NEW FACES... In addition to a solid core coming back for Tamaqua, McCarroll also has a several underclassmen he expects will make an impact this season. Sophomores Sadie Morrison and Sarah McCabe; and freshmen Sophia Boyle, Alexandra Frederick, Makenna Kane, Bryn Miller, Molly Murphy, Caitlin Smith and Lexi Thomas are likely to see playing time.BIG SHOES TO FILL... While the Raiders have solid depth, they will have to offset the losses of All-League players Cailin Joseph and Paige Eltringham along with Alexa Hromyak. "We lost three defenders from last year, so we will have to work some players in there to hopefully shore that up," McCarroll said.TOUGH LOSS... Tamaqua lost sophomore Logan Hartney for the season with a torn ACL. Hartney started every game last year as a freshman and appeared primed for a big season.LOOKING AHEAD... After falling to Salisbury in the first round of the District 11 Class 2A playoffs last fall, McCarroll is looking for the team to have even greater success this year. "We are hoping to build on our season from last year, win a few more games, hopefully make it to the playoffs, and we'd like to experience some success at that level also," said McCarroll.WEATHERLYMOVING ON... The Lady Wreckers will have to deal with the loss of six starters from last year's team.COMING BACK... Weatherly will benefit from the return of starters Jillian Bartel (senior, defender), Shannon Frye (senior, defender/goalkeeper), Cheyenne Weston (senior, midfielder/defender), Nicole Gordon (junior, striker/midfielder) and Calista Kuhl (junior, striker/midfielder). New additions to the lineup are expected to be seniors Gillian Hinkle (defender), sophomore Ali Hernandez (midfielder/striker), and sophomore Tabby Hinkle (midfielder/defender). Seniors Gabby Hernandez (midfielder) and Khadija Zuberi (midfielder); juniors Kloe Coll (midfielder/goalkeeper), Rosie Kramer (midfielder/defender) and Lillian Newton (midfielder); and sophomore Mackenzie Sherman (midfielder) are also expected to contribute this season.FRESH FACES... A handful of freshmen - Ali Bloom (midfielder), Shayla Heitczman (midfielder), Nicole Osifat (midfielder/defender), Kelly Royer (defender) and Isabella Wagner (midfielder) - will help the Wreckers add depth to the lineup. "Fresh legs bring a needed boost, but also a lack of experience in varsity soccer," said Weatherly head coach Will Bartel.ALL HANDS ON DECK... Bartel knows it's going to take a total team effort to knock off the Schuylkill League perennial soccer powers. "Obviously, Minersville, Williams Valley and Tri Valley are great programs, but we will have our hands full no matter who we face on the pitch," Bartel said.GOAL(S)... "That would be to play more competitively, capitalize on scoring opportunities and hopefully their hard work pays off. We are a small program, so we will have to work harder, pay attention to detail and execute what we practice to achieve this," Bartel said of his expectations for the team.