The Hillsboro Lady Indians varsity soccer team will be looking to replace many of the players that helped the 2017 team achieve a third place finish in the Frontier Athletic Conference (FAC) a year ago.
First year Head Coach Anthony Carson points to the difference in experience as the biggest change in 2018.
“The 2017 team consisted of quite a few seniors. This being said, the team this year is quite young. But they are all hungry for success,” said Carson.
The Lady Indians put in a significant amount of work over the summer according to Carson and he expects that work to pay off for the team this season.
“To be honest, I expect all the girls to improve. A few of my seniors took initiative this summer and pushed for a higher turn out than I expected for weightlifting, Conditioning and open fields. Through most of the summer, we averaged 18 girls,” Carson said.
Carson knows that the girls on his team want to win but he will measure the success of the team by more than wins and losses.
“If you ask the girls, they’ll tell you a winning season. For me, their success is measured in how they perform in the face of adversity. Having a new coaching staff with an entirely different set of expectations and goals. My goal is to get the teams to be complete teams that can play at the level that I feel they should be at,” Carson told The Times-Gazette.
That is not to say that the Lady Indians don’t want to be or can’t be successful in 2018 according to Carson.
“I have a small, but strong group of leaders that share my vision to push for success. They listen well, and are starting to see the game the same way that I see it,” said Carson.
Carson also realizes that the adjustment period for his team is not over, “The biggest weakness that I have seen thus far, is the adjustment to the culture change that is I bring with me.”
Carson wants to see the girls on his team push themselves to be better everyday and expects to see the results of that work when the season comes to a close.
“The goal that we set forth this year is to be constantly better than ourselves. This is program wide and we will always pushing to be better. I would like to see multiple girls on the FAC First team this year,” Carson explained.
The Lady Indians have seven home matches this season and Carson had a message for the community about those games, “Come see your Lady Indians play with unrivaled passion and heart.”
The Indians boys varsity soccer team will be looking to replicate their 2017 season that saw them finish with a 7-3 FAC record in a tie with the Jackson Ironmen for second in the league.
The Hillsboro boys will need to step up their game in and out of the conference this season to achieve their goals.
The Indians will need to replace a plethora of talent after losing much of their core to graduation in 2017.
Hillsboro will rely on the leadership of their upperclassmen and head coach John Weber would like to see his underclassmen contribute to the success of the team in 2018 as well.
Key Dates
August 28 – The Indians and Lady Indians will open their FAC schedule with a visit from Washington High School.
September 13 – Hillsboro will welcome the boys and girls team from Chillicothe with an opportunity to see how each team matches up with the defending FAC champions.
October 4 – Hillsboro travels to McClain to reignite their intense cross-county soccer rivalries.
October 10 – Hillsboro will welcome the players from Lynchburg-Clay for their final home match of the season.
Analysis
The Lady Indians have the talent to make a run a the FAC title in 2018 and their ability to adapt to what coach Carson is asking them to do will go a long way in determining how successful the girls are this season.
The boys soccer team will need to overcome a lack of experience to compete in the FAC and their ability to improve throughout the season will be key for them in 2018.
Reach Ryan Applegate at 937-402-2572, or on Twitter @RCApplegate89.
