The Lady Bucks’ soccer team is back on the pitch and hosted their first tri scrimmage against East Stroudsburg North and North Pocono on Friday evening honing their skills and preparing for the upcoming season.

The team brings back a ton of experienced players only losing four to graduation from last year’s squad including Brianna Zeiler, Ashley Woods, Kaysey Beury and their leading goal scorer from 2008 Sara Olson. Olson led the team in goals with ten on the season.

“Every season brings a new set of challenges. There is always going to be some adversity that arises that we must overcome. I have seldom had a group of girls, both upperclassmen and underclassmen, who were committed to bonding together to overcome the inevitable obstacles as the group I have right now. If we can maintain this attitude throughout the season, any goal that the girls set for themselves as a group is attainable,” said Head Coach Mike Soskil.

The team returns a number of its key players with eight starting players returning from 2008. Heather Michael (goalkeeper), Kyla Wentz (defender), Jillian Jansco (defender), Rosie Tamam (midfielder), Lauren Cassel (forward), Jill Alderfer (midfielder), Margit Deppert (defender), and Gina Boccia will all be back on the field for the Bucks this year.

Alderfer was the second leading goal-scorer for the Bucks in 2008 with seven goals  and will be moving to a more offensive assignment this year.

“She was actually our leading scorer from last year from the defensive midfield position and we’re moving her forward to the attacking mid this year. She’s a key player in that respect,” said Soskil.

Besides the seniors that were lost to graduation the team also lost one of its key players on defense to a season-ending injury. Justine Olsommer, a First Team All-Star in 2008, tore her ACL just days prior to the Spring season.

“That’s a big loss. She’s probably one of our two best defensive players. She really worked so hard in the off-season to get herself ready. It was an unlucky break and my heart goes out to her,” added Soskil.

Taking over the duties as goalkeeper will be Heather Michael, a junior who recorded 63 saves and five shutouts in 2008.

“She’s (Michael) dedicated herself to improving. She went to a couple of camps over the summer and her off-season work was fantastic. She looks great and we have high hopes for her,” said Soskil.

Lauren Cassel scored four goals for the Bucks as a junior and looks to surpass that number as a senior forward this season.

“Lauren has done excellent work the last two years and she’s healthy now. She’s got a ton of ability,” said Soskil.

On Friday the Bucks saw their first bit of action on the field after a long winter and hard work filled with conditioning and fine-tuning the skills needed to be a competitive force.

“It’s (preseason) going very well, very strong. The work ethic is good and the girls’ attitude is excellent. We had a couple of nice training sessions, so far so good,” said Soskil.

The team finished last season with a record of 8-7-3 and will be looking to improve on that number this season. Some big wins from 2008 included an 8-0 dismantling of North Pocono, a 4-0 victory over Wyoming Area Secondary Center, and a 5-1 win over G.A.R. Memorial.

“The entire division will be very competitive this year. Honesdale and Hanover Area moved up from Division C. They have done very well in the past, and are certainly capable of winning games in the division. Lake Lehman moved down from Division A and will be a force this year. With so much turn-over in the division, it is very difficult to know where we stand until games start,” said Soskil.

Soskil also hopes that his players gain valuable life lessons from teamwork and hard work both on and off the field. “Work ethic and dedication are necessary life skills that are  more easily taught through athletics than academics. As an added bonus, teams that learn these skills often succeed in meeting their goals. Individuals who rely on talent may be successful in the short term, but eventually get passed by those who combine talent with hard work.”