Lady Braves soccer prepares for spring

By Myra Frederick
Staff Writer

The UNCP Lady Braves soccer team is strengthening and conditioning themselves for their upcoming spring preseason. The ladies, who finished 13-5 last season, will play five scrimmages in their preseason. Two of the scrimmages will be played on home field.

In preparation for the preseason, the women’s team has been going through conditioning and strengthening exercises. In these exercises, the ladies have been lifting weights, running and working out with strengthening coach, Jeff Bolles. The team really began gearing up for spring on Feb. 23 when they began working with the ball.

During the preseason, the ladies’ main focus will be on implementing a new game system, according to Head Coach Lars Andersson. In addition to the 4-4-2 system that the team primarily uses, the team will implement a 3-4-3 system. The 3-4-3 system calls for three forwards to play up front, which will put more people up front than the 4-4-2 system. The new system will allow the ladies to score more goals.

The Lady Braves used the new system some in a few of their games last season and it worked well for them. Andersson believes that the team is equipped to really take on the 3-4-3 system, now. “I feel like we have the system to play the new system,” Andersson said.

Andersson also said that they will play with this system the majority of the time. “In 90 percent of the games, we will play a 3-4-3 system,” Andersson said.

Andersson appeared to be excited about the women’s upcoming use of the new system and preseason all together. He said that preseason is an important time to prepare themselves and to try different things. “It is a testing ground,” he said.

The soccer team has not recruited any new players since last fall. Andersson implied that that is perfectly fine. “Spring is about accepting the talent you have,” Andersson said.

The Lady Braves will accept the wonderful talent they have and will play their first scrimmage game, which will also be their first home scrimmage game, on March 2 against Queens University of Charlotte, NC at 7:30 p.m. Their second home scrimmage will be against UNCW on March 24 at 7 p.m.