Waynesburg girls soccer sets the bar high
The Waynesburg Central girls’ soccer team has faced several challenges over the last two years, with a change in the head coaching position, several injuries, a WPIAL miscue and competing in one of the toughest sections in all of Class AA.
But despite those obstacles, the Lady Raiders and second-year coach Chris Benson have high standards for themselves and expect nothing but the best from the team, both on and off the field, in the 2011 season.
“Consistency is a big thing for us,” Benson said. “The last several years we have had a lot of freshmen and sophomore starters and now those players are juniors and seniors and have had plenty of experience playing at the varsity level. We have grown up and we have to avoid the letdowns and the ups and downs a season can bring.”
In 2010, Waynesburg withstood a strong section schedule and a vast number of injures that derailed the chemistry on the team.
“We got hit hard by injuries last year,” Benson said. “Every team goes through that and there’s no way you can avoid the injury bug. When you have so many serious injuries like we did, it breaks up the cohesiveness and flow of your line-up because almost every week these kids are playing with somebody different. It takes time to get on the same page with everyone.”
The Lady Raiders posted a 7-7-3 record, 6-5-3 within Section 1-AA and a fourth-place finish. Despite finishing fourth, Waynesburg didn’t qualify for the WPIAL Class AA postseason because of a sectional conflict done by the WPIAL at the beginning of the season.
Waynesburg is a co-op team with kids from all over Greene County competing on the squad, and with all the numbers and calculations, Waynesburg is considered a Class AAA team.
The WPIAL put them in a Class AA section and didn’t realize the mistake until it was too late. In order for the Lady Raiders to get a playoff berth in Class AAA, they have to win Section 1-AA outright and can’t qualify for the Class AA playoffs.
“It’s one of those things you just shake your head and shrug your shoulders,” Benson said. “It put us in a tough place, but it will be changed next year. We are not going to complain about it and our ultimate goal is still the same, we want to make the playoffs. The team is full of confidence, driven girls that have set their goals of winning the section this year.”
One of the key components to the Lady Raiders’ success this year will be senior Niki Augustine, who Benson said is the team’s leader and is the hardest worker on the squad.
Juniors Hallie Kreuzer and Taylor Benson are also vital parts to the offensive attack that predicates itself on speed, quickness and getting to the ball in open space.
Defensively, Waynesburg will have a solid core back from last year that includes senior Rebecca Simpson, junior Anna Artkowski, senior Emily Phillips, junior Makayla Moore and junior Jenna Bohach.
In between the pipes for Waynesburg is junior Julia Camps. Camps saw significant time in net her freshmen year due to a starter’s injury and was up to the task in net. Last year, Camps was the back-up netminder and saw time in the field as a defender.
Benson said that Camps is going to be a critical part for the Lady Raiders this season and said that she knows the importance of her role on the team.
“Julia is a competitor,” Benson said. “She has experience in the net at this level and took advantage of some great opportunities that has come her way these last two years. She works extremely hard and she wants to constantly improve her skills. The way she plays in net will determine a lot for us this year. She is aware of that and understands the importance of her play for us this season.”
The Lady Raiders will kick off the 2011 season over the weekend at the South Fayette Tournament. Waynesburg’s first section game is on the road at Greensburg Salem on Sept. 7, followed by their first home contest of the ’11 campaign against Southemoreland on Sept. 12.
As the girls’ soccer team have high hopes for the 2011 campaign, so does the boys program. Look for the Waynesburg Central boys’ soccer season preview in next week’s issue of the Greene County Messenger.