Posted: Aug 25, 2022

Season Preview: Women's Soccer

by Stephen Morales

Of all the struggles that ELAC Athletics teams faces in restarting after the COVID-19 pandemic, few faced the hurdles that Women's Soccer did. With former head coach Tessa Troglia departing in the spring of 2021, along with other COVID-related obstacles in play, new head coach Jessica Correll was not hired until mid-July of last year. Combine that with a almost weekly fluctuating roster, and Coach Correll certainly dealt with more than her fair share of headaches in her inaugural season.

Luckily, the calendar has switched to 2022-23. With that, the fortunes of the ELAC Women's Soccer team look to switch as well. Finally afforded a normal offseason, Coach Correll has begun to put her stamp on the program with a full roster that's full of hopes of brighter days ahead.

As the season is about to get underway, we caught up with Coach Correll to get her thoughts and outlook on the new season.

SM: Based on last year's results, what is your focus on going into this season?

JC: Preparation and building a more competitive foundation for the program.

SM: How was it having a more normal offseason in all aspects?

JC: Having a normal offseason was beneficial in recruiting but it also allowed our group to become more cohesive on and off the field. Last year we didn't really have a chance to prepare, so I took full advantage of every day during our offseason this year.

SM: How has practice looked as we approach the first game?

JC: We're progressing. I have a hard-working group that's determined to make a difference this year and its starting to show in our training sessions.

SM: Any athletes you'd like us to keep an eye on this year?

JC: I only have a couple returners. All of them have worked incredibly hard in the offseason. The rest are incoming freshmen. It's a young group so it'll be interesting to see who steps up this year.

SM: Thoughts on the upcoming season?

JC: I see this as my first competitive season with the program. We'll definitely be tested, and it'll be interesting to see if this young group will rise to the competition. I'm excited.