Plainfield East girls soccer kicked off March 11 against the Samburg Eagles and since then have been able to achieve a conference record of 2-1 and an overall record of 7-4 [records may change] with bright hopes for the future of the program.
The Bengals hired first-year head coach Rebecca Ford this offseason. She hopes to establish a team culture of community and chemistry both in and out of the sport.
“I think chemistry is huge, on the field, off the field. If one another believes in each other, they’re going to work for each other on the field as well,” Ford said.
Teamwork has led to the development of the team’s goal-scoring abilities on offense. On April 11, the Bengals hit the back of the net seven times against conference rival Joliet Central.
“Our offense has improved a lot. I think we had some trouble scoring in the beginning, but we’ve kind of figured it out as the season’s progressed,” Senior and goalkeeper, Anna Jenkins said.
The team believes that simplicity is key when it comes to their game plan this season. A common goal among everyone on the team is to create an environment where everyone is on the same page.
“I’d say just not making it difficult on ourselves; we need to start making things simpler, rather than trying to win every single game, we just need to relax and focus on what we do have rather than what we don’t have,” Senior and forward Delaney Shrupsha said.
What the Bengals do have is many young players this year. Ten seniors graduated during the 2022-23 season, and the team has stepped up in their absences.
“There’s a lot of younger players that’ve been moved up to varsity. All the old players have graduated, so I think it’s important that we figure out how to play together,” Jenkins said.
The advantage of a young team is continuity between seasons and more emphasis on player development. East is optimistic about the program’s future.
“The future is very bright. I just finished watching some of the JV games, and it’s nice to see a lot of the talent and personalities down there,” Ford said, “ I think we’re going to be a young program, and I really like what I see.”
