{"id":4580,"date":"2020-05-20T13:22:20","date_gmt":"2020-05-20T17:22:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/acutabove.mipamsu.org\/?p=4580"},"modified":"2020-05-20T13:22:20","modified_gmt":"2020-05-20T17:22:20","slug":"freshman-lead-girls-varsity-soccer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/acutabove.mipamsu.org\/?p=4580","title":{"rendered":"Freshman lead girls varsity soccer"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/acutabove.mipamsu.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/NW-19-Sports-Feature-Freshman-lead-girls-varsity-soccer-by-Chadwick-Cole.png?ssl=1\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-4581\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/acutabove.mipamsu.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/NW-19-Sports-Feature-Freshman-lead-girls-varsity-soccer-by-Chadwick-Cole-300x194.png?resize=300%2C194&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"194\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/acutabove.mipamsu.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/NW-19-Sports-Feature-Freshman-lead-girls-varsity-soccer-by-Chadwick-Cole.png?resize=300%2C194&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/acutabove.mipamsu.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/NW-19-Sports-Feature-Freshman-lead-girls-varsity-soccer-by-Chadwick-Cole.png?resize=1024%2C662&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/acutabove.mipamsu.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/NW-19-Sports-Feature-Freshman-lead-girls-varsity-soccer-by-Chadwick-Cole.png?resize=768%2C496&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/acutabove.mipamsu.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/NW-19-Sports-Feature-Freshman-lead-girls-varsity-soccer-by-Chadwick-Cole.png?resize=1536%2C992&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/acutabove.mipamsu.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/NW-19-Sports-Feature-Freshman-lead-girls-varsity-soccer-by-Chadwick-Cole.png?resize=2048%2C1323&amp;ssl=1 2048w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/acutabove.mipamsu.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/NW-19-Sports-Feature-Freshman-lead-girls-varsity-soccer-by-Chadwick-Cole.png?resize=1140%2C737&amp;ssl=1 1140w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/acutabove.mipamsu.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/NW-19-Sports-Feature-Freshman-lead-girls-varsity-soccer-by-Chadwick-Cole.png?resize=552%2C357&amp;ssl=1 552w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/acutabove.mipamsu.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/NW-19-Sports-Feature-Freshman-lead-girls-varsity-soccer-by-Chadwick-Cole1.png?ssl=1\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-4582\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/acutabove.mipamsu.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/NW-19-Sports-Feature-Freshman-lead-girls-varsity-soccer-by-Chadwick-Cole1-300x194.png?resize=300%2C194&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"194\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/acutabove.mipamsu.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/NW-19-Sports-Feature-Freshman-lead-girls-varsity-soccer-by-Chadwick-Cole1.png?resize=300%2C194&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/acutabove.mipamsu.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/NW-19-Sports-Feature-Freshman-lead-girls-varsity-soccer-by-Chadwick-Cole1.png?resize=1024%2C663&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/acutabove.mipamsu.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/NW-19-Sports-Feature-Freshman-lead-girls-varsity-soccer-by-Chadwick-Cole1.png?resize=768%2C497&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/acutabove.mipamsu.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/NW-19-Sports-Feature-Freshman-lead-girls-varsity-soccer-by-Chadwick-Cole1.png?resize=1536%2C995&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/acutabove.mipamsu.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/NW-19-Sports-Feature-Freshman-lead-girls-varsity-soccer-by-Chadwick-Cole1.png?resize=2048%2C1326&amp;ssl=1 2048w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/acutabove.mipamsu.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/NW-19-Sports-Feature-Freshman-lead-girls-varsity-soccer-by-Chadwick-Cole1.png?resize=1140%2C738&amp;ssl=1 1140w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/acutabove.mipamsu.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/NW-19-Sports-Feature-Freshman-lead-girls-varsity-soccer-by-Chadwick-Cole1.png?resize=552%2C358&amp;ssl=1 552w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<p><strong>By Chadwick Cole<\/strong><br \/>\nScriptor<br \/>\nWylie E Groves HS<br \/>\n1st Place Division 3, News Writing<br \/>\nSports Feature Story<\/p>\n<p><b>JUDGING CRITERIA<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Lead captures attention, arouses curiosity<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Emphasizes new element,fresh angle<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Colorful, lively presentation; effective form\/style<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Reflects adequate research,sound interviewing techniques<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Avoids summaries of published materials<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Effective use of facts\/quotes<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Interesting; appeals to the emotions<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Proper diction\/grammar<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"p2\">Black.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\">That was all freshman varsity soccer midfielder Elodie McLaughlin saw after a Waterford opponent pushed her to the ground as they fought for the ball. McLaughlin spun through the air and slammed back on her head.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\">She was out cold.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\">Laying on her back, McLaughlin opened her eyes, overwhelmed with confusion. The game stopped. Soon after, McLaughlin got up, regaining consciousness, and continued playing.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\">Everything seemed fine until halftime. McLaughlin sat on the bench to start the second half. Head coach Greg DeCourval then called for McLaughlin to sub in. As soon as she stood up, she couldn\u2019t see straight. She couldn\u2019t remember where she was. She couldn\u2019t remember who she was with. She couldn\u2019t even remember what had just happened. After deciding not to let her play, DeCourval demanded her back down onto the bench and called her dad over. From there, McLaughlin was immediately taken to the hospital. McLaughlin explained the little that she remembered.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\">\u201cNo one knew I wasn\u2019t okay. I didn\u2019t really know what was going on. I just got up and continued to play. After the first half was when I got super dizzy. I began to cry because I was so confused and out of it. I don\u2019t even remember the rest of the time I played at all,\u201d McLaughlin said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\">McLaughlin is one of five freshmen who made varsity soccer this year.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\">Even though some see freshman on the varsity team as behind older players, Senior captain Lizzie Potoscky believes that grade level shouldn\u2019t matter with these freshmen. She sees clear talent in this younger group.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p3\">\u201cThey really deserve the spot on varsity. It would not make a difference if they were my age or their age. Some players just learn early, and this is exactly what these girls did, and they help lead the team,\u201d Potoscky said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p3\">Despite this talent, some players worried that freshman competing against seniors might make the younger players cringe during key plays. DeCourval disagreed and saw the freshmen learn how to navigate the bigger size of the other girls and never get intimidated.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p3\">\u201cOur freshmen get knocked off the ball because they are undersized, but they just get right back up and get right back into the play. They show a certain toughness that\u2019ll be helpful in the future because they will go from being the person being bumped to the person bumping people off the ball. Being undersized and growing into bigger bodies gives them such an advantage because they already<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">have the skills that they had before technically and tactically. When they get bigger, they will still have the same skills they had before and a new dimension to their game physically,\u201d DeCourval said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">Elsie Meilinger is also a freshman and the team\u2019s leading scorer with seven goals in seven games. DeCourval explained what made her such an asset to the team.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">\u201cShe really fits the mold to be a striker because she\u2019s very tough, very fast, very aggressive, and has no trouble putting the ball in the back of the net,\u201d DeCourval said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">In a game against Royal Oak on April 25, Meilinger put herself in an open position in front of the goalie box, giving herself a scoring opportunity. Meilinger had to think quickly to gain an advantage and put the ball in the net.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">\u201cLizzie dribbled down the right sideline and did a pull back. That\u2019s when I made my run into some space at the top of the box in front of the goal. I received a pass from Lizzie and took a few dribbles forward and ripped a shot with my left foot into the bottom left corner. I could see the opportunity right as she started to head towards me, and I knew the perfect space to run to get a good shot at the goal,\u201d Meilinger said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">Two of the other freshmen, midfielders Riley Sauter and Sophia Chung, said they brought a boost of energy every time they stepped on the field to make up for their smaller size. These two impressed junior captain Katie Lucken during their defensive play.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\">\u201cEver since the game against Seaholm on March 26, everyone\u2019s been talking about how Riley totally blew up one girl kind of late in the game. They were both running for a ball going towards the end line by our goal, and Riley totally just ran her over. The other girl was probably twice her size, but size really doesn\u2019t matter. If you have talent, you have talent,\u201d Lucken said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\">With so many freshmen on varsity this year, each one felt pressure to showcase their skills. Freshman Ella Plumstead used technical and tactical skills to create opportunities on the field, specifically during the first game of the team\u2019s preseason tournament.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\">\u201cIn our preseason tournament there was a free kick at the thirty yard line. The coach told me to take it. I was really overwhelmed because I\u2019ve always been trying to prove that I belong on varsity. Taking the kick was a big way to show up. I placed the ball down, took a deep breath, and thought to myself \u2018It\u2019s just another game\u2019. I ran up, shot it on frame, and I scored top right corner. I was immediately bombarded by celebrating teammates in a frenzy over what had just happened,\u201d Plumstead said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\">The freshmen players appreciated how the older players<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">mentored them and helped them improve. Potoscky made it a point to encourage the freshmen from the beginning of the season.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">\u201cI tried to reach out to the freshmen and make them feel comfortable on the team right from the get-go. My 9th grade year, I was one of the two freshmen on varsity. I knew how scary it was to be with a bunch of older kids, so I made sure they felt like they really belonged. When I was a freshman, the girls were very welcoming, and I wanted these freshmen to come in the same way. I tried to get to know each freshman and make jokes with all of them. I tried to make them feel extremely comfortable and welcome on the team,\u201d Potoscky said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">Similarly, throughout his seven years of coaching girls varsity soccer, while only his first year at Groves, Coach DeCourval also found effective ways to connect with younger players. Chung explained how DeCourval supposed her on and off the field.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">\u201cHe\u2019s really encouraging. He has a really positive mindset, and I haven\u2019t had a coach that was like that before him. All my coaches before him would always yell. I think him staying positive really helps the team play better because it is a lot different than most of the girls on the team have had in the past, and it works,\u201d Chung said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\">Chung knows that the soccer team has not won many games before this year. But with the talent of this year\u2019s freshmen, the guidance of this year\u2019s captains, and coach DeCourval at the wheel, the team believes success is on the horizon.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\">\u201cThe benefits of having freshmen are that you get to build and mold them the next four seasons into the players we would like them to become. This year we only had three seniors, which really opened the door for freshmen to be on the team and play a big role,\u201d DeCourval said. \u201cThis is important because they are not only a big part of the team now, but they will also be instrumental to our future. With growth comes more speed and toughness, and with that size as they grow they\u2019ll just continue to keep improving.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"gallery","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[4,67],"tags":[175,22],"class_list":["post-4580","post","type-post","status-publish","format-gallery","category-nw","category-sportsfeaturestory","tag-2019-20","tag-division3","post_format-post-format-gallery","entry","has-post-thumbnail"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"featured_image_src":null,"featured_image_src_square":null,"author_info":{"display_name":"Joel Beeker","author_link":"https:\/\/acutabove.mipamsu.org\/?author=9"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p6K0n6-1bS","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/acutabove.mipamsu.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4580","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/acutabove.mipamsu.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/acutabove.mipamsu.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/acutabove.mipamsu.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/acutabove.mipamsu.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4580"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/acutabove.mipamsu.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4580\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/acutabove.mipamsu.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4580"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/acutabove.mipamsu.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4580"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/acutabove.mipamsu.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4580"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}