9/6/2012 - West Side Leader
     

BATH — Last season proved to be a very successful one for the Revere High School girls soccer team, but head coach Dave Howson said his goal is to do even better this season.

“Our final record was 13-3-3. We lost 2-0 to Walsh in the district final. Our record in the regular season was 11-2-3. We were co-champions of the Suburban League with Copley and Wadsworth,” he said. “As always, our goal is to improve on the previous season. That will be a tough task, as we have a harder schedule than last year, but our aim should be to win the district.”

One key strength for the 2012 Revere girls soccer team, Howson stated, is that there are a lot of “veterans” on the team this year.

“This year’s team is made up of mainly upperclassmen,” the coach said. “We only had three incoming freshmen this year — so our numbers are down a little — but I’m expecting this to change steadily over the next few years.”

According to Howson, there are eight seniors on this year’s squad: goalkeepers Laurel Hursh and Jenny Fiedler; Abbey Czekaj, defense; Joanie Garcia, defense; Olivia Lombardi, defense/middle; Eve Kirkendall, defense; Holly Starner, forward; and Sarah Lubash, middle.

“They are a great group that lead by example,” the coach said. “With support from a strong junior class, we are hoping to have a decent season.”

Howson said his team also is looking for quality play from a pair of sophomores.

“We have a couple of underclassmen on the team —Alexis Espinal and Katarina Pokrajac,” he said. “Kat has good foot skills and is comfortable in possession. Alexis has a great engine and always has a smile on her face. We are continuing to work with them so that they can have an impact this season.”

Another key player, Howson said, is junior Amanda Gallo.

“She looked sharp in preseason,” the coach stated. “I expect her to have a good season and score lots of goals.”

The team started the season with a 2-1 record, and Howson said the team’s strengths and weaknesses have started to come into focus.

“We have a lot of speed on the team. We also have more players on various club teams during the rest of the year than I have known before, which obviously helps them for the high school season,” he said. “There are a number of things we still need to work on, but I would say being more ruthless in front of [the] goal would be the main one.”

According to Howson, a strong regular season schedule should help prepare the team for postseason success this year.

“We have a really tough schedule this season, including Hudson, Hathaway Brown, Jackson, Copley, Brecksville and Wadsworth, to name just a few. We won’t have many easy games this season, but that is what we need to prepare us for playoffs,” the head coach said. “I would like us to win the Suburban League again, but I know Copley, Wadsworth, Highland and all the other teams in the league will have the same ambitions. I would also like to get back to the district final, as I don’t think we did ourselves justice last year. I would like to go one step further than last year.”

This is Howson’s second season as coach of the Revere girls soccer team. Pat Cingel is the team’s assistant coach, and Kayla Durichko is the junior varsity coach.

• Aeros, Roy Hobbs athletes participate in annual ‘Challenger Day’
• Walsh boys volleyball team hoping to win title on home court
• Woodridge girls track team looking to capture league title
• West Side Scoreboard
• Coventry girls track team ‘a pleasant surprise’
• South Side Scoreboard