The 2023 soccer season gets underway this week, and we asked local coaches what to expect from their teams this season. Here’s the preview for the Apollo girls’ team.
The E-gals begin their season at home against Owensboro Catholic at 7 p.m. on August 8.
Last season Apollo finished with a record of 5-12-1 (0-7-0 9th District). Entering his second season as head coach, Zach Akin is focused on improving the team both on offense and defense, especially with half of last season’s starting lineup returning as seniors.
Here’s what Akin had to say about the upcoming season:
What are your expectations/goals for this year?
Our main goal for this season is to be more competitive in district play. We feel that we have a good balance of experienced returners and energetic youth that if we can progress throughout the year, can really allow us to achieve this goal.
What will be the biggest challenges on the schedule?
District matches are always some of the toughest matches on the schedule. Our district is full of competitive, talented teams which causes some pretty difficult matches. However, outside of our district matches this year, some of our toughest opponents include South Warren and University Heights Academy.
Who are your top returning players?
We have a large returning class this season, including eight seniors (six of which are returning starters). Amongst the returners are our top three goal scorers from last year. They are seniors Alana Rone and Jolie Foster and junior Kara Green. We are looking for these three to build on their successful campaigns from last year and continue to contribute highly to our goal tally this year.
Who do you expect/need to step up?
Players that we are looking to step up this year are freshman Lili Ruth and Naw Paw Way. Lili will play a big role going forward for us this year, as we are looking for her to contribute goals and creativity in our front line. Naw will be a new addition to our back line who we think can add energy and allow us to play more comfortably from the back.
What areas are you hoping to improve on this year?
We have placed a major focus on the defensive side of the ball this year, as we are looking to decrease the amount of goals conceded from last year. We are looking to be more organized on the defensive side of the ball and are hoping that we can limit the amount of scoring opportunities for our opponents. Up front, we are looking to progress in our style of play and continue to be more creative going forward to create more scoring chances.
