Soccer Season is Coming

The 2024 soccer season for the Waukee girls was very successful. The girls made it to state for the first time since the split by beating Johston 1-0 in the final substate game. In an upsetting loss to Ankeny in the quarterfinals of state, the team’s journey ended there but they are back and ready for the 2025 season! The Waukee girls lost five varsity players and three varsity starts, including one of the captains Rita Danner. While these players were hard losses to the team, they are prepared for some new players and an exciting change for this season’s roster. 

As a returning varsity player for Waukee, I am beyond excited for this upcoming season. I am positive the Waukee girls will bring their all into every game and focus on creating a positive environment where we push each other to our best potential. This season, our team plans on focusing on creating a strong team that is always each other’s biggest supporters. A few significant sayings our team has focused on in the past and will continue to remember are: “Together one never walks alone”, “Together as one”, and “One program one goal”. Keeping these small reminders close to our team has helped the atmosphere and the way we’ve connected as a team, on and off the soccer field. 

One very important thing the players and coaches love to do is set goals for themselves and the team as a whole. First the individual goals, junior Morgan Lowry said, “One individual goal I have is to do my best and to not compare myself to others.” Next, senior Jade Thaker said, “My goal for myself is to stay positive for myself and my team.” I think Morgan and Jade’s goals are extremely important and helpful to think about throughout the season. I also have a goal for this season that I want to focus on. My goal is to work on positive body language and play my part in creating a hardworking and strong team. Setting goals at the beginning of the season has been very important for our team and sharing these goals with everyone can help build connections within the team. As well as building a connection, setting goals also helps us push each other to our best ability and make sure we are the best team we can be. 

Next, all of the varsity players have set a goal for the whole team and we are going to work hard to make our goal possible. Getting back to state would be our team’s overall goal, but the important part is how we get there. Junior Sydney Burrier said, “One goal I have for the team is to improve our overall teamwork and communication on and off the field. By working together and having a better connection it will give us more scoring opportunities and help strengthen our defense”. I completely agree with Sydney because improving the team’s connection will show how we’ve improved on the field. Without that strong connection, we will struggle with how we play as a whole. Our head coach, James Brook is extremely supportive and also pushes us to our best abilities. Last season he got us through hard games and competed for us in every way. I asked him for a goal he has for the team this season and he said, “It’s important that players see ‘winning’ as a process of improving, so even if you lose a game, you’re still winning, as you see it as a chance to improve. Therefore, it’s about taking one game at a time and not looking too far ahead of ourselves.”

Setting goals that are obtainable but will push us to be the best version of ourselves is extremely important for our team. Both personal and team goals help give us a plan for improvement without fixating on the future. Along with goals, team culture is a huge aspect of our Waukee team and Coach Brook said, “It’s extremely important that players buy into the culture of the program, ‘Together As One’, which means ALL players must sacrifice their own personal glory for the greater good of the team. And finally, to hold players accountable to work ethic, as you don’t need talent to outwork a team.” The Waukee girls are excited and prepared for this upcoming season. Come support us at a game!

Photo courtesy of WHS Girls Soccer Team