Clippers, Vikineers Kick Off Girls Soccer Season

Sevastopol/Gibraltar’s Zoe Armbruster (left) is shown advancing the ball while being pursued by Sturgeon Bay’s Annika Olson (6) during last season’s matchup in Baileys Harbor. File photo by Kevin Boneske.

Two Door County high school varsity girls soccer teams will again take to the field this spring. Sturgeon Bay will have its own squad, and Sevastopol/Gibraltar will have a cooperative program.

Sturgeon Bay

The Clippers, who last season finished 7-7-3 overall and 6-2-1 in the Packerland-Eastern Wisconsin Conference – where they tied for third – have graduated a goalkeeper on the All-Conference first team, Drew Starr; as well as a midfielder on the league’s second team, Emma Reichel.

Head coach Robert Desotelle said the team’s goals this spring include finishing above the .500 mark, winning the conference title and advancing to the second round of the WIAA regionals.

His list of top returning athletes includes seniors Scarlet Serafico, Emma Reinhardt and Annika Olson; and juniors Paula Weinke, Alexis Olson, Maddie Hemminger and Libby Scheer.

Desotelle said the team has a positive attitude and great chemistry, though he wishes the roster had more girls who had prior playing experience in club soccer. But, he said, “our numbers are continuing to grow. Two teams dropped out of our conference this year due to numbers, so we are hopeful to have all teams in our conference in the future.”

Desotelle said he is also concerned about spring weather leading to game cancellations, but as the season progresses, he’s “looking forward to seeing our players continue to grow and develop. We are incredibly excited about this team and their great potential [to] lead to success,” he said.

Desotelle said the top opponents on the Clippers’ schedule include Kiel, New Holstein, Pius XI and Seymour.

“They are going to be tough opponents, but we look forward to the matches,” he said.

Sevastopol/Gibraltar

Chad Andreae returns for his seventh season as a head coach for the Vikineers after the team last year went 5-11-2 overall and 4-5 in the league standings.

Andreae said this year’s team has athleticism, and with the girls coming into the season physically fit, that will make it possible for the coaching staff to focus on soccer fundamentals and team chemistry.

“Many of the girls have not grown up playing soccer, and so the focus will be establishing the knowledge and skills required to play the game well,” he said.

Andreae said the team goals this year include winning every winnable game, losing gracefully because goal differentials matter, and having fun.

“As a coaching staff, we want to consistently be an example of passion, hard work and integrity,” he said. “‘Consistently’ means in the heat of the battle, when we are tired after a long week or late night, and when the challenges of a tough loss occur.”

Andreae said he is most concerned this season about the players being physically prepared for the challenges of the season, and he doesn’t want to see anyone injured.

“We have an amazing group of girls, each with wonderfully different personalities,” he said. “It is always rewarding taking athletes who compete against each other – Sevastopol and Gibraltar – during other seasons, and watching friendships blossom and team chemistry form.”

Andreae said that playing Sturgeon Bay is always a highlight of the season, and it has historically proven to be a very competitive match.

“The players on both sides have grown up together and are often friends off the field,” he said. “As coaches, we know many of the athletes and their families personally, and so it is both fun and stressful at the same time.”