HOLDEN — After playing six out of eight games on the road to kick off the 2023 season, it was finally time for some home cooking for the Wachusett Regional High girls’ varsity soccer team when the Mountaineer road trippers squared off against Leominster High on Sept. 28. The friendly confines of Hal Lane Field were the perfect venue for the green and white, who scored a pair of second half goals to record a 2-0 win.
The victory advanced the team’s record to 4-3-1 while nearing the midpoint of the season.
“I love playing at home. There’s nothing better than playing here,” said WRHS second year head coach Emma Mailman. “We’ve got some of the loudest fans. We have a huge field, and that’s an advantage. We’ve got a new scoreboard, and we’re getting parents involved, and we’re working with the youth community. These are all good things.”
Mailman, a 2016 WRHS alumna, is back for her second year at the helm to restore a winning culture that has been absent since back-to-back state championships in 2017 and 2018. She has already won the confidence of her players in the early stages of the season, with team unity front and center.
“A lot of the credit for our closeness is because of Emma,” said senior co-captain Alyssa Senecal. “She has pushed us so hard to create chemistry. We always do fun things at the beginning of practice, and I’d give credit to her for the closeness we’ve developed. She’s a great coach.
“At the beginning of the season, I feel like we were together all the time having pasta parties, and we had a scavenger hunt. We continue to do a lot of things together, and I feel like we’re really close now. This is my last season, so I know that for sure.”
“My favorite part of being on this team is if you’re on the field or you’re having a tough day in school, there’s always someone there for you to make sure everything’s OK,” added junior co-captain Jesse Ayers. “We’re always together, and we have a strong bond. This win gives us more confidence to keep pushing forward and win more games. We have a really good league, so we’re hoping to get some more wins in.”
Versus Leominster, it was a scoreless first half, with each team having opportunities to score but failing to connect. The second half would be different, with Mailman making formation changes as a catalyst to spark the offense.
Junior Meredith Cordial netted the first tally midway through the second half, with sophomore Katlyn Perna pouncing on a rebound minutes later, finding the back of the net for the team’s second score.
“I took a really good shot, and it happened to come out. I was lucky to get over it, and I just put it in,” Cordial explained of what would be the game’s winning goal. “We’re so close on and off the field. I see these kids in school and out of school, all the time. I think it’s really good for our relationships on the team, and that plays into our chemistry on the field.”
As robustly as the team has performed to date, there are definite areas that can see improvement moving forward. Specific areas are explained by captains and head coach.
“We struggle with shooting sometimes, so we need to keep working on that and taking our shots when we get the chance,” said Senecal. “We also need to keep the ball up through midfield and connect on our passes, playing our speed and our game.”
“The No. 1 thing we’ve been working on is finishing inside the box,” Mailman further explained. “One-touch finishes, low drives. We literally spent 45 minutes in practice last night just driving the ball low. With the two goals we scored tonight, I think it’s an example of taking something from practice and applying it to games. The way we played tonight can build a lot of momentum going forward.
“Any time I switch to 3-5-2, my two strikers feed off each other incredibly well. So the second I unleash them it’s like a high press, and it’s a field day. In the huddle I gave them the new formation. I wish that there was some magic thing that I say, but honestly, it’s go out there and have fun.
“There are still some areas that we’re working to improve on but compared to last year, it took us from game one to game 10 to score. We’re halfway through (this season) and the team is improving. We set goals, and we’re constantly striving toward them.”
Members of the Wachusett Regional High 2023 girls varsity soccer team are seniors Gracie Hehir, Alyssa Senecal, Isabella Grady, Ava Warner, Sydney Nunn, Bridgette Tessier; juniors Esmee Frohock, Kaitlyn Johnson, Charlotte Brisbois, Brenna Patenaude, Helena Holmquist, Meredith Cordial, Madison Harmon, Aila Head, Heather LaRange, Jesse Ayers, Rahma Giwa, Hannah Grenier, Abigail Lei, Kate Larose; sophomores Gabby Geloso, Katlyn Perna, Keegan Gregorczyk and freshman Rylee Gamache. Team captains are Alyssa Senecal, Jesse Ayres and Kate Larose. The team is coached by Emma Mailman.
