KWU Athletics
Ask Kansas Wesleyan women's soccer coach Henrik Sohn what he expects from his team this fall and the answer is essentially two words – compete and resilience.
The Coyotes were 11-7-2 in 2021 but finished strong going 8-3-2 in their final 13 matches. They placed fourth in the Kansas Conference with a 7-3-2 record.
Sohn, though, wasn't pleased with the way things transpired.
"We lost some games and tied some games we should have finished last year," he said. "What we did wasn't good enough for several reasons. I think mentality was an issue. We faced injuries but overall, we can't make excuses."
Sohn and assistant coach Cam Hunter spent the offseason working to rectify the issues.
"We went back to drawing board in the spring, evaluated everything we did and what we need to change," Sohn said. "So far, I think we have been on a good way. We're not where we want to be yet but we made some adjustments to the team culture and to the personnel and I think we're in a better spot."
And it's is the origin of the compete and resilience mantra.
"Don't give up if things don't go your way," Sohn said. "How are you reacting? How are you reacting if you're down 1-nihl or if the ball doesn't bounce your way? The ball doesn't always bounce your way; the ref doesn't make the calls – that's part of the game.
"Control your controllables and what you can control is your effort, your mindset, your body language. That's what I want to see improve and it was much improved in the spring. I expect us to carry this over into the fall."
The process of transferring the momentum to the fall began the first day of practice and continues. KWU opens the season against Doane in a non-conference match at 1 p.m. Sunday in Crete, Neb.
"We are very intentional about what we do, how we interact, how we challenge these players, how we create a competitive culture," he said. "We're trying to carry this over by sticking to the rules, sticking to the culture and defending those rules and defending the culture in order to move forward in a positive way."
Sohn has a veteran squad to work with: the roster features 10 seniors. There's also a group of newcomers he believes will contribute.
Five returning players top the list – senior forwards Kayla Deaver (SR/Lee's Summit, Mo.), the team's top scorer with 14 goals, and Lissette Garcia (SR/Bakersfield, Calif.); and senior midfielders Yarellie Galindo (SR/Lynwood, Calif.) and Tyler Goodwin (SR/Covina, Calif.).
"They've been around the block; they know what to do and know what it takes to be successful," Sohn said. "This was the core group when we went to (NAIA) nationals in 2020-21."
Sohn supplemented the returners with several newcomers and includes midfielder Ashley Murguia (JR/Coachella, Calif.) and forward Jasmine Castillo (JR/Indio, Calif.) from College of the Desert (Calif.) and forward Brianna Carrillo and midfielder Zitlally Huerta (JR/Wilmington, Calif.) from Los Angeles Harbor College. Freshman defender Isabella Anderson (FR/Las Vegas, Nev.) from Las Vegas has shown promise as well.
"Anyone can step up and earn a spot so that's important to know," Sohn said. "They all want to do well, especially the senior group that wants to go out with a championship. That's the goal for them.
"I think we're talented but we've got to see how the season turns out. We're mad right now. We can shoot for the stars and land on the moon, we might win in all or we might finish fourth. I don't know. But I think we're talented enough to be really competitive."
Sohn expects the KCAC to be a meatgrinder once again. The Coyotes were picked fourth by the conference coaches in the Preseason Coaches Poll.
"Oklahoma Wesleyan is the clear-cut favorite, No. 12 in the nation," he said. "They're just very, very good. Friends is always competitive, Southwestern is decent. If you don't show up and bring your 'A Game' you can lose to any of these opponents."
The Coyotes also have a challenging non-conference schedule that will test their resolve.
"You've got to be efficient in what you do and even then, there's an X-factor in it," he said. "Like I said sometimes the ball just doesn't want to go in, it doesn't bounce your way. That's something that's part of the game. It can be very frustrating and can be very cruel but it can only frustrate you for one day. The next day you've got to move on and look at the next game."