The Wheeling Park Girls’ Soccer Team is having a strong season so far, with a record of 11-3-1. Led by Head Coach Carrie Hanna, Assistant Coach Brian Arbes, and six starting seniors, the team has strong leadership and chemistry.
The girls are eyeing a State Championship win, but they need to beat Morgantown, their toughest opponent so far, in the sectional final to get there. Morgantown is ranked first in the state, and Wheeling Park is ranked a close third. The two teams are neck in neck for who will move on to Regionals and States, but our girls are confident it will that Park will come out on top.
Head Coach Carrie Hanna is optimistic about the team’s future, “I am incredibly pleased with our progress and growth throughout the season, feeling prepared and confident for a strong finish,” said Hanna.
After a close 2-1 loss to Morgantown in the OVAC Finals, the team has been conditioning, watching film, and putting in extra work at practice to prepare for the last few regular season games and the sectional game against Morgantown coming up. One of the team members even tracked the mileage ran at practice on her Apple watch to be around seven miles, showing how hard these girls are working for a successful end of the season.
“This season has been a season of learning and chemistry building, and I think we are moving the needle in the right direction in terms of finding that perfect line-up and finding that good chemistry that we need to put more points on the board and to ultimately keep the ball out of the back of our own net,” said Assistant Coach, Brian Arbes.
There are four captains on the team: Lily Hanna, Merritt Delk, Kaylee Davis, and Lucy Aderholt. “As a captain, we’re the leaders, we make sure everyone’s having a good time while doing what they’re supposed to do,” said Davis.
The team has been practicing nearly every day since June and has spent a lot of time together including long bus rides, hill sprints, team dinners, and more, creating a close team atmosphere.
“My favorite part of being on the soccer team is being around my friends and getting to have somewhere to go after school where I can interact with other people and play the sport I love,” said Senior, Audrey Lantz.
“So far I really like hanging out with the people on my team…I love laughing with them,” said Junior, Katelyn Smith. “I think the season is going pretty well so far, but I think we have the potential to do better as the season gets more intense, and I think we have the ability to win States.”
The last time the Park girls won a State Championship was in 2020, when the current seniors were freshmen, giving them an extra drive to finish their high school careers how they started: with a ring.
