Women's Soccer Spring Season Review
April 29, 2016 | Women's Soccer
BOILING SPRINGS, N.C.- Recently, the Gardner-Webb sports information office had the chance to sit down with Head women's soccer coach Mike Varga and discuss the recently completed Spring Season.
Below are Coach Varga's thoughts on the Spring Season.
1. What are your overall thoughts on the Spring Season?
Every spring the goal is to improve our fitness, improve our individual technique and compete in the matches we play as we get a better tactical understanding of what we are trying to do on the field. I feel like we accomplished all of our goals this spring. Our fitness improved as we went through the spring. The team worked hard to improve any technical deficiencies that we had and we competed and won all 6 matches that we played.
2. Any particular aspects you really tried to focus on?
I wanted us to be more efficient in the final 3rd. I thought we played well in the fall, but we weren't as good as we needed to be around the goal. This spring, we scored quite a few nice goals in many different ways and I see that carrying over in to the fall. I was happy to see us improve as a team this spring and a byproduct of that was winning every match that we played. Statistically, we scored 18 goals this spring and only had 2 goals scored against us, so I was pleased with that as well.
3. Were there any surprises from any results or any players?
Brandi Arey played with a lot of confidence this spring and was able to score 7 goals in our 6 matches. She showed a lot of composure in front of the goal and did a good job of finishing her chances. Justine Ibarra also had a good spring statistically with 2 goals and 7 assists. She did a good job with her decision-making and has really progressed as a dangerous midfield player for us. Defensively, we were solid from front to back, which was a carryover from the fall. Another senior, Bri Nagle, had a great spring in the matches and is one of our leaders on the field. Bri is also one of our team members that sets the tone for us from a fitness standpoint.
4. What happens now as you prepare for the 2016 season?
This group has high expectations for the fall as does the coaching staff. The team will be all over the map this summer as we prepare for the fall. Many will be playing on teams in various leagues this summer. Each player has an individual fitness goal that I am sure they will work hard to achieve. Our returning players are excited to welcome our new players to campus and all are looking forward to an exciting season.
Seniors Bri Nagle and Justine Ibarra also had these comments
Bri Nagle- Although we lost a big senior class we worked really hard this spring to adjust and make progress for the fall season. The results show how much work we put in and we can't wait to see it pay off..
Justine Ibarra- I think we made a statement this spring. I think the secret to our success lies in the drive of each individual player, wanting to play for something bigger than themselves. Everyone has something they bring to the table, and I think with the encouragement from our coaches and training staff, we were able to find the confidence to use our skills and benefit the team as a whole. This spring was only a prelude to what's to come in the fall.
