One of the benefits of playing as an independent is that you have time to figure things out as you go.
That's the name of the game for the Detroit Country Day women's soccer team this spring. That's because the Yellow Jackets (1-1-1) only have four seniors and rely on 12 underclassmen.
In fact, as many as five or six freshmen will likely start on each trip.
For example, it would be a nightmare for the Kensington Lakes Activities Association program. The league began playing conference games on the opening night of the season. If you're trying to win your division and qualify for the league championship, you don't have time to throw ideas at the wall to see what sticks. Every game is do or die there.
With DCDS, you don't have to worry about that. All games played are non-conference. The goal is to play as many tough opponents as possible to prepare for a long run in the postseason, and that worked the last time the Yellow Jackets won the state championship in 2021. did.
“We don’t have a lot of experience,” longtime coach Laura Hamway said after Monday’s 2-0 win at Royal Oak Shrine. “So we took advantage of these games before spring break to look at some different formations, get the kids moving, see what kind of chemistry we could build, and start to get some momentum back after spring break.” I did.”
So far, so good.
The Yellow Jackets lost to Division I's Rochester Adams in their spring opener and tied with Orchard Lake St. Mary's. It was just as difficult to beat the Knights, who have appeared in three of his past four D-4 state championships.
Their seniors include Macy Liutta, Alyssa Bromley, Riley Lockhart and Regan Harkins, one of three returning All-State players from a year ago. Sophomore Isabella Simizzi set up the winning goal five minutes into Monday's game with a cross pass that breached the far side line to the backside.
more:Photo: Detroit Country Day Women's Soccer vs. Cranbrook
Juniors include Naima Saffieddin, Megan Hartajja and Mercedes Arinez. Arinez is a goaltender who has been on the national team for three years and is a returning All-Star.
Leading the sophomore class are Schimizzi, Sofia Shaya, Katie Lin, Gisele Tindall, Ava Amezcua and Jenna Shaban. Shaban, who was a defender on the All-State team a year ago, scored an insurance goal on a set piece five minutes into the second half against the Knights.
and freshmen Charlotte Hartley, Skye Ducasse, Georgia Hopkins, Julia Goetz, Megan Mattia and Ryan Sharpe.
“It's good to see the team growing. We've been building the team over the years,” said Arinez, who finished the game against the Shrine without giving up a goal. “We have some really good freshmen this year, so I’m looking forward to seeing how far we can go in the playoffs this year.”
The Yellow Jackets expect to have some growing pains. Why not schedule games against state powerhouses like Bloomfield Hills Marian, Farmington Hills Mercy, Cranbrook and Troy Athens?
But that doesn't mean they don't compete.
This should be a foundational season that sets DCDS up for even more success in the future.
“I expect a lot of good things to happen this year,” Alines added. “Obviously, I love all the freshmen, all the sophomores. I love being able to coach some of them, especially the back line. They're all relatively younger than me. But I'm in their shoes. “I like her.'' She's like an older sister to them. ”
Brandon Folsom covers high school sports in metropolitan Detroit for Hometown Life. Follow him on Twitter @folsombrandonj.
