EDITOR NOTE: This story was slated to be published before we heard the 4-2-2020 announcement that all NSAA activities are now cancelled for the spring season. https://nsaahome.org/nsaa-update/

By J1 Reporter Sophia Virgillito

As soon as the winter sports season came to a close, the spring sports season was already up and running. Soccer tryouts concluded the first week of March and immediately the team began training. 

This year’s Marian High School Girls Varsity Soccer Team consists of four freshmen, four sophomores, two juniors, and nine seniors. The team is coached by Teresa DeGeorge 92’, Monica Bosiljevac 10’ and goalie coach Haley Shelton, better known as DD. This coaching trio has led Marian to four state championship appearances and two state titles in the last four years. 

According to NSAA statistics, Marian’s record for the last four years is (70-11).

The coaches, team managers, and athletes were working hard to prepare for this year’s soccer season, hoping to continue their winning record and return to the state tournament, when the Nebraska School Activities Association released a statement postponing all spring-sport seasons until May 1 due to the outbreak of COVID-19.

This decision meant teams of all spring-sport athletes would not be competing nor practicing. They would also need to adapt a new strategy to approach the season. 

According to junior Mia Suter, the coaches have remained “positive and optimistic about the season.” They have set up daily workouts for the girls and multiple weekly Zoom meetings to discuss their week’s work.

Weekly sessions are sent out to the team which include: a skills component, a fitness component, a group challenge, and an educational/research component.

These workouts have been “a very nice outlet after a long day of online school,” according to freshman Mallory Connealy. 

With all the changes being made to students’ daily lives, the daily workouts create a routine throughout the chaos for senior and UNO commit, Grace Crockett. 

Not only has the sports season of these players been adjusted but also the team chemistry. On the day of the scheduled team bonding activity, NSAA announced the postponement of the spring sports season. These changes have forced the team to bond in new and creative ways, like group video-chat meetings and the team’s text group chat.  

Sophomore Emma Prososki, a UNL commit, was excited for her second season on MHSGVS. “It is definitely hard not being able to push each other during practice,” said Prosoki. The team has had to adjust from being together each day in game-like scenarios to more independent development. 

To keep hopes high, the MHSGVS twitter account @MarianHSSoccer has also been active. The team managers have been posting videos of the girls practicing and profile spotlights for each player. 

Along with the team’s Twitter activity, the team continues to be motivated by their furry 4-legged friends: Nelson, Jackson and Reilly. The team dogs are usually seen at practice shagging soccer balls, but with the cancellation of practices, they have been spending lots of time with their owners.

Nelson can be found on Twitter under the hashtag #NelsonsGameDayAdvice. Coach Bosiljevac uses social media and her dogs to keep the team positive and motivated.

Every year, the team has a motto for motivation throughout the season. This year’s team motto is “demand it.” Coach DeGeorge thought of this idea while reading the book Wolfpack by Abby Wambach, a retired U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team player. Coach DeGeorge said, “One of the chapters was called ‘demand the ball.’ Boom a light went off, and I had my team motto. Demand it.” 

Bosiljevac describes this year’s team as “special” and “dedicated”, and despite the challenges thrown their way, the team is hopeful to continue the season and strives to make progress.