At 6 a.m. the sun rises over the mountaintops. Most kids pull the covers over their heads, as summer vacation slips away, along with opportunities for sleeping late.
But this past Thursday and Friday at the crack of dawn, the PCHS soccer girls met for their annual skills camp at Joe Yanni Field.
Head Coach Matt Fuller and Eva Matuszyk, assistant coach, intended to drill the girls on the fundamentals of the game.
“But we didn’t need to,” said Matuszyk. “Instead, this season, we’ve been able to dive right into advanced drills.
Six seniors return to the field: Gabby Beltran and Jessica Martin will manage the team. Haylie Leavitt, Ana Paredes, Kyle’ Tupa and Cassidy Burke (captain) will lead a roster of one junior, two sophomores and six freshmen.
“It’s a young team, but we’ll have positive leadership on the field,” added Matuszyk. “Over the next few years, the incoming freshmen should develop into a force to be reckoned with.”
Pershing County opens their 2019 preseason at the South Tahoe Tournament on Aug. 23 -24. They’re likely to run into South Tahoe, Lowry, Truckee and Spring Creek, varsity 3A teams.
“They’re tough, but we’re ready,” said Coach Fuller.
The PCHS soccer coaches emphasize two keys to success on the soccer field — communication and passing.
“These are the two hardest things to get going with a new team,” said Matuszyk. But this group is already using those skills to make amazing plays.”
At camp, the coaches had the girls buddy up and pass the ball around.
“Don’t always partner up with the same person,” Fuller reminded them. “You need to be able to receive passes from all of your teammates – not just one or two.”
Lovelock travels to Ely for the White Pine tournament on Aug. 30-31. They’ll host their first home game, against Whittell, on Friday, Sept. 6, at 3 p.m.
The Lady Mustangs thrive on attention from their home crowd and hope for packed bleachers.
“Being a lake school, Whittell will be a tough team to verse,” said Matuszyk.
The coaches hope to use the preseason tournaments to get ready for the aptly named Lady Warriors.
