Row 1: L. Hatcher, M. Minnich, L. Lee, E. Buttram, A. Adkison, K. Miller, R. Thoroughman, S Hollingsworth, A. Schmidt, A. Sampson. Row 2: K. Winston (grad asst.), J. Walker (vol. asst.), K. Tschiggfrie, D. Berryman, J. Taylor, A. Fitzgerald, A. Royce, D. Nonaka, S Jackson, A. Ritchie, L. Scharf, E. Haltiwanger, H. Hatcher, G. Harris (coach). I n addition to the 1 0 players returning to the Lady Bisons soccer team, nine freshmen joined the ranks. Because of the new team dynamic, the players had to work together to develop close relationships and to learn the balance of school and soccer. Joined by a Christian faith and passion for soccer, the girls found a common ground that enabled them to work as a unit and play their best. Lady Bisons head coach Greg Harris attested to the difficulty of uniting a group of women who were each talented athletes and strong women in their own right, and showing them how to use those strengths to create an unbeatable team. "The challenge is you are trying to get all these different types of people and mix them together to work together for the same cause and to run a system together. That is a big challenge," Harris said. "What can be the biggest challenge is also some of your biggest fun too." Harris and the team worked vigorously in the new season to know each other better, to trust in their peers and to use their strengths to win games. After facing the initial challenges of getting to know one another's personalities and playing styles, the players quickly came to understand that without camaraderie, success was unattainable. Harris saw how the girls were intentional about forming relationship and playing well and, consequently, had high expectations, knowing that Unified and Uniformed Young te,ammates bring new dynamic to team the team would mature and gain experience throughout the year. "Our first game this season was really hard; just because we have not really spent a lot of time together yet," junior Erin Haltiwanger said. "We did not really know each other's strengths and weaknesses as well as we do know. So, it really took a lot of concentration, focus and leadership to kind of guide people where to go and what to do." Playing soccer while working on an under~1raduate degree was a challenging experience for athletes who had to dedicate a lot of time to perfecting their skills and creating teamwork. Balancing personal life, school and sports was not easy, but at the end of the season, it was worth every sacrifice. "I decided to switch [my major] so I can focus more on grades and soccer, and then I'm only in college once, so I might enjoy the social aspect of it," junior Hannah Hatcher said. Teamwork and camaraderie were determinant factors for a successful 2012 season, leading to the Lady Bisons winning six out of the first nine games that they played. They also looked forward to the 2013 season in which they expected even better results, because many of the players would return. Henry Gonzalez Women's Soccer Est. 1998 I 289
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