The goal: Exact revenge on Millard North. Goal has been accomplished. On April 11, the varsity soccer team defeated Millard North 1-0 at Marian.
At the beginning of the season, Marian lost two games, one to Lincoln Southeast in a shootout and one to Papillion La Vista. "Because of our rocky start, we decided to pick it up and get some fire in our bottoms,S said junior forward Mary Hillebrandt, "We wanted to win."
In the first half, Millard North seemed to dominate and the score was 0-0. In the second half, Marian got it together and connected more of their passes. "We decided to adjust our game in the second half because Millard North is more of an athletic team. We couldn't hold on to the ball for too long," said junior captain and goal keeper Becca Malesa.
The team roster lost eight players from last year and looked to rebuild for this year. "The team is a lot better this year, everyone has a good attitude, and practices are a lot better," said senior forward Erin Mumm. The team now has to focus on their upcoming games against Bellevue East, and Westside. They also had a tournament at Millard South from April 21-25.
Marian plays number one Burke tonight at Marian at 4:30. "This is going to be a really tough game and we are hoping that a lot of people come and cheer us on," said junior midfielder Emily Jessen.
The junior varsity soccer team also has the same goal for this year. They lost last year to Millard North, 0-2. For the first time, there was a JV soccer tournament at Millard South. Their first game was on April 17 and they defeated Millard South 6-0. The championship game on April 18 resulted in a 2-1 victory for Marian over Millard North. "The game was really tough and that made our win even better. We've been waiting all year for this game," said sophomore midfielder Katie Niemann.
The rematch between Millard North and Marian was held on April 25.
The team has seen some new faces this year with the addition of 10 freshmen. "It's taken a lot more effort to work well together because we have so many new players with great individual talent," said junior goal keeper Katie Chartrand.
There is more opportunity for freshmen and sophomores to play soccer at Marian. The first ever reserve team is being fielded this year. The reserve team has the opportunity to play all JV teams for the duration of their season because most schools do not field reserve teams. They've already had wins against Burke, 3-1, and Millard West, 1-0. "Playing JV teams helps us get ready for a higher level. I think it says a lot about our soccer program at Marian," said freshman forward Courtney Bullins.