Lady Pioneer soccer has spent the last several weeks working on conditioning despite the rising temperatures. Head coach Todd Willmore and the Lady Pioneer soccer team tries to beat the heat by hitting the field in the early morning hours.
Warren County finished last year’s girls soccer season with an overall record of 10-6-1 and a district record of 4-1, second only to the Cookeville Lady Cavaliers. The Lady Pioneers lost their district semifinal match to Stone Memorial 3-2, after defeating Stone Memorial in the regular season by a score of 4-2.
Soccer is a very demanding sport and conditioning is a must. Right from the start of the Lady Pioneer season it will still be very hot outside so the early morning workouts are a must for building strength and endurance.
Over the last several weeks the Lady Pioneer soccer team has been going through its paces. The Lady Pioneers are looking to make their way to the top of the district.
First thing Monday morning coach Willmore met his players at the soccer field. A rigorous and extensive workout regimen was gone through. At a water break the Lady Pioneers sought hydration and shade even though it was the early part of the morning, while coach Wilmore reset the markers and passed out jerseys.
As the players took the field after the brief timeout, coach Willmore explained the drills and the reasoning behind them. After he demonstrated the drills, he backed out of the way and let the players try. He demanded the drills be done correctly and stopped play on several occasions to regroup the players if he felt the drill was not being run correctly.
One of the drills ran four players on offense against two on defense. The emphasis was to make better passes on offense while keeping the defense guessing while communicating at the same time. Coach Willmore said that since soccer camp communication has greatly increased and said you have to let each other know where you are on the field at all times.
Returning to the Lady Pioneer lineup as seniors are Lindsey Cox, Larrisa Lopez, Haley McColloch, Olivia Ming, Candace Moore, Alaina Ortiz, Bailey Walker, and Saydee Winfree. Eight seniors should carry with them more than enough experience for Warren County to get the job done. The returning Lady Pioneers are seeking revenge after dropping the semifinal game in the district tourney that ended last season.
The Lady Pioneers should have plenty of speed at the corners and experience to make the best decisions on offense in a fast-paced game, all while playing a very aggressive defense to keep opponent scoring to a minimum.
These summer preseason workouts will hopefully increase the stamina and endurance by the first home game Aug. 20 versus Ooltewah at 6 p.m.