The Antioch Community High School girls soccer team has completed their tryouts for the upcoming 2025 season. These athletes battled through tough snowy conditions and the cold temperatures throughout the tryout days, each persevering and earning a respected spot on a team.
Freshman Aubrey Pluciennik is excited for the season to come and is looking forward to being back on the field, as the last time she played soccer she was only 10 years old. Pluciennik believes that the second tryout day was especially challenging due to a lot of conditioning; the less-than desirable weather was also hard to work with, but she still enjoyed spending time with the girls. Her favorite part of this experience was the ability to try something new with her closest friends.
Pluciennik is excited to play the games and the bus rides with her new teammates. She hopes to improve her skills as the season progresses and wants to focus on working together and communicating with her teammates.
Head varsity coach Maddie Lyon is pleased with how tryouts went. Lyon created a new tryout style this year, adding in a pure fitness day with about 60 girls showing up to work hard each day. She was proud of the girls for doing their best and working their hardest throughout the rough times.
“I really liked [the fitness day],” Lyon said. “It really showed who was dedicated; easily people could be scared and not want to do it.”
Lyon expects the varsity girls to have a better season than last year, in improving their record and being able to utilize the young talent on the roster. Even though many players are graduating after this season, she hopes to continue to improve the team’s skills each year. Another goal of Lyon’s is to place either first or second in the ACHS home varsity soccer tournament, and she sees it as an achievable outcome. Lyon thinks that the team should focus on their commitment to the program for the entire season, and firmly believes that in order to succeed, the girls must want to strive to do their best each and every day.
“It’s five days a week of hard work and sometimes six,” Lyon said. “If you can commit to that for the eight weeks [of the season], then we will be just fine.”
Senior Grace Quirke also believes tryouts went well and went by fast this season. She sees tryouts as exciting as she can see how the program has been progressing.
“It is great to see the program grow a little bit every year, as well as all the people who come back and move up a team,” Quirke said.
Quirke hopes that for her senior season, the team focuses on friendships and bonds, as well as establishing a good dynamic heading into the games. She believes that this can benefit the players both on and off the field, reflecting on how the program will grow throughout the season. Quirke hopes to win a lot but also enjoy this time with her friends as well.
“One thing I hope to accomplish this season is to have a winning conference record,” Quirke said. “I want to be a competitive team that puts up a fight, and the conference is the perfect place for that.”
As the ACHS girls soccer teams head into this season, they hope to bond with one another and be successful once games start. Commitment and improving their skills will be the main focuses for all levels, along with enjoying the season to come.
