MANITOWOC — Show up to a Manitowoc Lutheran girls soccer home game and you won’t find any bleachers, fans bring their own chairs.
There isn’t even a scoreboard at the moment because its currently broken, so not even the coaches know exactly how much time is left in the game.
Yet the first-year program is playing soccer at the varsity level and that is the only thing that matters to them.
“Just to have an opportunity for these girls to play a sport they love is priceless,” Lancers coach Phil Stuebs said. “I’m glad our school gave them the opportunity.”
Added senior Evelyn Overland:
“We don’t play for the praise or the frills we play because we love it,” Overland said. “The fact that its a varsity sport and we are the first (players) is very special.”
For a majority of the team, they’d been playing as far back as kindergarten but a high school team wasn’t an option at Manitowoc Lutheran.
“It was a crazy feeling that we were actually going to have it,” senior Stevie Brunner said of finding out the team would start this season. “My freshman year there was talk but it never happened.”
Much like the broken scoreboard, Stuebs admits there’s been some hiccups along the way.
“I forgot to film our first home game and I told the girls its going to be in your memory forever so that’s even better than a video,” Stuebs said with a laugh.
As could be expected, the results on the field have results in just one win through April 27 but that isn’t discouraging the team.
“We knew what we were coming into this season, we knew it would be a tough season but everyone came in with a tough attitude and winning mindset,” Overland said. “We’re a team and we know we’re achieving something every game.”
Added Brunner:
“I think it’s very important that we took the chance,” Brunner said. “No matter the outcome, it’s soccer and they’re playing because they love it.”
Stuebs sees it every single day with the team, they’re realistic on what they’re up against as a new program, yet the players have the best attitude for the task at hand.
“It’s tough, it’s not easy,” Stuebs said. “But the battle these girls have, the effort. That’s what’s going to help us in our season. Not so much the coaching or the practices. It’s going to be the girls and their heart and desire to win.”
Contact Tom Dombeck at 920-686-2965 or tdombeck@htrnews.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @Tom_Dombeck.
This article originally appeared on Manitowoc Herald Times Reporter: Manitowoc Lutheran’s new girls soccer program ‘priceless’ opportunity
Reporting by Tom Dombeck, Manitowoc Herald Times Reporter / Manitowoc Herald Times Reporter
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
