The screaming, the yelling, the crying. It all comes together in one game, but for Wando girls soccer, they have gotten to experience this feeling three times in a row—and they’re aiming for a fourth.
Shannon Champ, the head girls soccer coach who has led the team for 19 years, has been with the girls as they have gone through the excitement and struggles of winning their state championship games. The current seniors are the players who have won the three consecutive championships, and Champ explains the ways they have grown to help continue this championship legacy.
“They have developed in their leadership roles. They have used their knowledge and experience since their freshman year to help the younger kids learn what the program is all about and how to play,” Champ said.
As seasons go by, more and more newcomers are added to the team and to help the process continue smoothly, the older girls help mentor and be a leading hand for the newbies.
Because girls soccer has won three state championships already, things can be looking positive, but also much harder. Competitive teams work even harder each year to reach their goal of beating Wando.
“I think the expectations are to always win a state championship, but this is just a big hurdle for us because we have won the last three… I think when other teams, especially ones we have faced in the past, set their team goals for the year I would say that we are on their board as far as them wanting to beat us,” Champ said.
The expectations still remain in place, but they get altered due to the impacts from the competing teams. New assistant coach Matthew Paciotti joined this season, and although he has not been with the team as long as Champ, Paciotti still understands how determined the team is to win state.
“I think the expectation for us right now is to continue to learn how to play together as a team and with new freshmen that are on the team this year… so if we take care of the little things now I think that will set us up for success. And that is what is going to help us get back to those state championships,” Paciotti said.
Paciotti is focusing on the proactive side of the team and trying to enforce positive ideas that will help for their future. To keep up the fast paced and aggressive learning environment, Paciotti has been trying to implement some new methods to advance the team to be able to beat their competitors.
“The new methods or techniques would really just relate to the new players on the team like some of the young players that are trying to work in with the older experienced players that have been in the program… learning to play with one another and the style of play… is something we are all just trying to sharpen up,” Paciotti said.
To continue their win streak, implementing a new coach comes with applying new methods and develops the team in a dynamic way.
Senior Kylie Cino has been with the soccer program for their continuous soccer championships from the past three years and her goals have not lessened any bit.
“The first time [winning] felt awesome, so our expectations are really high and we set really high standards for ourselves,” Cino said.
As goals are set high, the team also needs a way to achieve these ambitions. The point of view from Cino differs from her coaches as she is the one playing on the field and personally sees how her teammates grow on and off the field.
“We just have to build up the confidence and help the newer players and everything will slowly start falling into place,” Cino said.
