By Clark Campbell

   “Work hard and always have a positive attitude.” 

   These are the philosophical words of head coach Megan Wright when it comes to coaching girls’ soccer. The Tempe Prep girls’ soccer team is off to a great start with a record of 3-0-1. Their one tie was a close game with a last-minute false goal. 

   Junior Dahlia Welter says, “In the last minute of the game, it was 0-0 and [I] cut the ball to the left and slammed the ball; it hit the crossbar and went into the goal. The ref said it didn’t go in because it bounced out after due to the spin. We have video proof it went in but the refs didn’t count it.” 

   Unfortunately, the team had a few setbacks due to many fall sports overlapping into the winter season, which caused several girls to start a couple of weeks late. Luckily, the team has many returning players and Coach Wright is back for her seventh year coaching high school girls’ soccer. 

   This season, the team has 22 players divided into Varsity and JV teams. This separation allows the less experienced players to learn and improve. Dahlia says, “All the players work hard and always have a positive attitude,” echoing Coach Wright’s philosophy.

   The team has a variety of skill levels, ranging from beginner to club-level experience. Each athlete has specific skills that help the team grow and improve. With so much diversity on the team, Coach Wright has set some team goals for every practice and game. 

   “Our goal for all players is to improve individually and as a team member,” she says. She wants every athlete, new or experienced, to build off of what they already have and develop every day. Hannah Chadwick says, “We’ve started to really connect during our games and I think we can play really well if we keep it up.”

   The team is preparing for the Chandler Prep winter tournament starting on Dec. 28.