Spring Sports Preview: Falls Church

Back on the Ball— After opening the 2005 campaign with the Lady Jags’ first goal, senior Christine Arkwright hopes to lead her team on a positive track for the duration of the season.

By Darien Bates

So far things haven’t been ideal for Brooke Alexander and the Falls Church High School girls soccer team. With inclement weather raining out their two preseason scrimmages, and the lack of access to a soccer field forcing the team to practice on elementary school fields, not even outfitted with standard goals, Alexander was worried that her young team was going to have a difficult time adjusting to a full field and a real game when they faced George C. Marshall Tuesday.

The field problems seemed a foreboding sign that the results from last season’s disappointing 2-12 record might transfer over to this year, despite the fact the promise that she sees in this squad. Alexander’s first season as head coach for both field hockey and soccer, last year provided plenty of challenges and learning experiences, that she was worried about whether she could use for this year.
She needn’t have worried.

By the time the horn sounded at the end of their first game, a 2-0 victory for the Jaguars, Alexander had witnessed the potential, identified in practice transformed into performance. After shaking off the dust in the first half, the Falls Church girls played the second half with control, showing off a deft touch, accurate passing, and cohesive teamwork.

For Alexander, the game was a promising show of talent for a group that, while it has a solid core of experienced players, is also relying heavily on the performance of their sophomores, all six of whom are expected to see a significant amount of playing time.

From the start of the spring season Alexander has been focusing on teamwork on and off the field. She indicated that part of last season’s disappointment was due to some chemistry problems with the team.
This year, though, she has made working together a top priority. Every Friday evening is semi-mandatory hang-out time and prior to games, each player writes a note to their secret buddy to give encouragement and praise.

Second to teamwork, Alexander has focused on her team’s defense. While she is eager to see scoring rise this year, she said that the best way to improve the offense is to tighten the defense. So far, the majority of practice has been dedicated to small sided games that focus on tightening communication and defensive tenacity.

Crucial to the defensive success is the play of outside senior fullback Marcella Janczewski. Her coach described her as a fantastic athlete who excels at both field hockey and soccer. “There has never been a time when she has failed to shut down the player she’s up against,” Alexander said.

This year Janczewski has already started to show her senior poise, and looks ready to anchor the Jaguar’s defense.

But despite the focus on defense, the key to Falls Church’s success this year could hang on center midfielder and some time striker, senior Christine Arkwright. Tough and driven, Arkwright always pushes herself and her team to perform at their best.

Able to distribute and take players on equally well, she is the center of the Jaguar offense and her play could dictate how well the Lady Jags fare this season.

Alexander said that Arkwright has improved dramatically from her freshman year. Through determination and focus, she has gone from a relatively mediocre player, to an outstanding offensive player and a fearless defender.

The one concern Alexander has is the tendency for Arkwright to get tense mentally. While she is an able scorer, she sometimes tightens up when faced with finishing open shots. But once again, the fears seem to be overblown, faced with a one-on-one with the goalie, early into the second half, Arkwright forgot her tension and cleanly put the ball in the back of the net, to tally the first Jaguar goal of the 2005 season. Just another sign of things looking up.

While Alexander is seeing her senior leaders performing to expectations, she said the play of freshman Allison Gibbons is an unexpected bonus. A tall wing player with a cheeky touch and a solid cross from either foot, Gibbons has the ability to spread defenses and could take some defensive focus off of Arkwright. Already, she has made an impact. After sitting the first half of the game against Marshall, it was Gibbon’s serve across the box that led to the first goal of the evening. Alexander said that she thinks it was her energy that pushed the team over the hump for the win.

Despite the solid start to the season and the team’s promising play, Alexander is cautious about making any predictions about the upcoming season, still feeling tender from last year’s losses. Instead, she wants to take the season one game at a time, never looking beyond the next contest.

As for her players, she feels that however the Jaguars do, the important thing is that they don’t just perform, but that they perform together, as a team. So far, so good.