Glendale Preparatory Academy’s dry field will open 2015 for the Sedona Red Rock High School girls soccer team, but it will be just the pilot to the Scorpions’ ultimate Division III, Section I test.
The Scorpions, young but as healthy as they have been all season, will escape their snow-choked home confines Thursday, Jan. 8, for another attempt at their first sectional win with a 3:45 p.m. road game against the Griffins.
“We’re pretty close,” said Will Geurts, assistant girls soccer coach. “We’ll probably bring 15 or 16 players — bring down a couple players on the cusp, competing for a varsity spot.”
While the girls coaching staff isn’t looking past that game, both Geurts and head coach Juan Carlos Aguilar expect the true litmus test of the team’s progress to come back home over the next two weeks — in the form of sectional leader Northwest Christian High School as well as cross-Verde Valley rival Mingus Union High School.
“We only have one game this week, which we have a strong chance to win,” Geurts said. “Glendale Prep offers us the opportunity to move forward on some things we’ve been working on in our formations — fine-tune some things for some very tough opponents. We’ll see if we can, tactically, do some things they’re not expecting. That’s really important for the team and its mentality.”
The two-week winter break not only gave SRRHS a chance to heal injuries to three varsity players, it provided the opportunity, albeit limited, to get in practices focusing on set plays and finishing without a tournament at which to play.
“We’re kind of continuing on with that this week,” Geurts said. “We certainly have a very different level of experience on this team than last year. That changes things and offers new opportunities for new players to come forward.”
Players like freshmen Gwendolyn Robinson and Collier Trcic, who can infuse new blood into the rivalry with Mingus on Wednesday, Jan. 21, at 5 p.m., and help redeem last season’s 6-0 loss at Northwest Christian at 4 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 14.
For the full story, please see the Wednesday, Jan. 7, issue of the Sedona Red Rock News.
