At 6 p.m., the Varsity Girls Soccer team competed in its annual scrimmage against the Zionsville Lady Eagles. Starters for the Lady Trojans included Kelti Wise at goalkeeper, Alainna Frankel, Bri Poore, Liz Andersen and Emily Karr in the back line; Jostin Reeves, Paige Waskom and Katelyn Jansen in midfield; Macy Detty, Peyton Murphy and Kenzie Kramer in the forward positions. 

The teams played three sections because the scrimmage cannot be played in traditional 40-minute halves per IHSAA rules. Instead, the teams played two 25-minute sections and one 30-minute section. The first section remained scoreless with few shots-on-goal for either side. During the second section, Zionsville scored by finishing a cross from the bench side of the field, Zionsville’s right wing. The third section also remained scoreless, leaving the Lady Eagles with a 1-0 victory.

Though the Trojans took a loss, the scrimmage provided insight on the upcoming season for the three captains and for Coach Bishop. 

“In order to succeed this season we need to play as a team and use all of our individual talents. We want to build a talented team, not a team of talented people,” said captain Bri Poore, a senior. The conversation on the Trojan bench included several mentions of playing as a team, working together and maintaining composure.

“We want to grow as a team to make sure we support each other and have each other’s backs, but at the same time hold each of us accountable,” said senior Kelti Wise, one of the three captains. In order to come together as a team, returning players and first-year varsity players must adjust and overcome challenges. “I think our goal this year is to have some of the underclassmen gain some experience throughout the season, and as a team we want to go far in the tournament,” said Wise.

In order to go far in the tournament and to earn a victory over rival Carmel, the team is working on specific goals.

Two goals are “staying focused the entire 80 minutes and staying connected, and keeping our composure on the ball,” said senior captain Jostin Reeves. “Those were our challenges last season, and we have a lot of returning members, so focusing on the things we need to fix and adapting to those will be huge for us.” 

For Coach Mike Bishop, the keys to the team’s success include health, strength, and pace. Several players have injuries, ranging from minor to more mild. “If that continues it is going to be a long season,” Bishop said. 

Bishop sees the midfield as the key to the teams strategic success. “Our midfield is the key to being strong and dominating the field of play. Everything flows through the midfield, and it has to be that way with this group because they’re very talented,” Bishop said.

In soccer, gameplay moves quickly, whether through the midfield or anywhere else, and this is especially true on turf surfaces on which the ball can roll easily. Therefore, Coach Bishop wants his team to focus on keeping a fast pace. “We have to play fast and play nasty. We picked these players as a staff for a reason, and that’s to play fast, aggressive, attack-minded soccer,” Bishop said.