The Mason City Girls Soccer is kicking off the 2018 season, although the weather has yet to cooperate. Even with practices starting the Monday after Spring Break, snow has prevented the girls team from getting much practice on the fields, and they have been forced to practice inside at Lincoln Intermediate. This has not stopped the team from achieving great things, however. When the weather allowed it, varsity tryouts were held, and all of the girls invited to try out rose to the occasion, making it hard for coaches Whitney Kading, Marty Garrett, and Michael Kinney to decide on who would fill the 18 spots on the varsity roster.
Just showing up to practice wasn’t going to be enough for the team to be successful. All year, the coaches have stressed the need for off-season work, whether it be at open gyms, playing other sports, or using the weight room. Coach Garrett has seen the effects of off-season work in a lot of players this season, “There’s been a lot of work in the offseason that has shown up early in our practices. There’s a noticeable improvement in the footwork, teamwork, and camaraderie.” With practices starting only two weeks ago, the team has spent a lot of time already working on a new formation focusing on possession, ball control, and most of all, conditioning, much to the dismay of the players.
With three games already having been postponed, and with limited practice space, the girls are anxious to play as a team and get some real game experience. If you would like to watch the girls in action, there are home games, weather permitting, on multiple dates in April and May.