Tough stretch ahead for Hawks girls soccer team

Senior co-captain of the girls soccer team Amanda Schnee.

Story and photo by Doug Petrowksi

The Mountlake Terrace High School girls soccer team is facing an uphill climb this year, as the team is 1-4 after five games.

The slow start can partly be attributed to the absence of the team’s leading scorer the past three seasons, Erin Russell, who will miss the entire year due to a torn ACL she suffered in February. Russell scored 14 goals her junior year, 25 over her high school career.

“In my opinion Erin would have been the best player in the league and one of the top forwards in the state,” said Hawk head coach Jerry Myers. “During my past 28 seasons as a coach for MTHS, Erin is one of the top three I’ve ever coached.”

While she won’t step onto the field her senior year, Russell is still very much involved with the squad this season. “To her credit she comes out to every practice and game, even though she won’t be able to play,” Meyers added.

The girls soccer team is also young this season, with plenty of juniors and sophomores in the Hawk starting lineup. Goalkeeper Amanda Aversano is a junior, along with the two center defenders in front of her — Maddy Kristjanson and Nikkie Froehlich. The midfield includes sophomore Allison Lorraine; fellow sophomore Lily Hart plays up front as a forward.

Myers sees better game results for the squad if they focus on two things. “We need to communicate more effectively on the field,” he said, “and play with the same kind of intensity that we did versus Shorecrest.” The loss to the Scots on Sept. 18 was by just one goal given up while playing a person down for a two-minute stretch in the first half.

Myers does point to positives on this year’s squad. “Our defense is pretty strong,” he said. “We returned all the starters from last year and they play really well together.” He calls three-sport player Kristjanson (soccer, basketball and softball) “a stud,” while the two team captains play outside defenders, seniors Chrissy Wimmer and Amanda Schnee.

Myers also likes the abilities shown by Hart, emphasizing her “great shot, speed and dribbling skills,” and Lorraine, who he says has “great ball control and vision.”

The Hawks will have what might be their toughest stretch of the season next week as they have to play an improving Shorewood squad (2-2-2) and 4A North favorite Everett (6-1).

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