Serving Lucas, Ottawa, Sandusky and Wood Counties
After the potential of not having a season due to limited numbers, Northwood has recruited enough players to field a team, which presents an exciting challenge for 16th-year head coach Monte Bandeen.
“My goal with this year's team, as any team, is just to get better from day one to the last day,” he said. “Hopefully the kids learn the game, they get better, their skills get better, and their understanding of the game gets better. And we have a little fun, as well.”
Bandeen said that much of the summer work has consisted of three or four kids each day. They didn’t have an 11-person team until July 29, and they sit around 13 players entering official practice Aug. 1. They’ll have a full schedule.
It’s been hit or miss in terms of roster size through his tenure, Bandeen said.
“There's always been a good mixture of experienced and non-experienced players,” he said. “It's always been something that I've dealt with since I've been here. I've always had soccer players, but there's always going to be kids that want to come play because it's a small school, and they know I'm not going to cut. I teach the game of soccer to a lot of people for the first time.
Another challenge for Bandeen is the graduation of goalkeeper Lea Wauford.
"She was a big (loss),” he said. “This will be the first time going into a season that I really don't have a plan at goalie. That's kind of nerve-wracking.”
Also departed due to graduation are Alexa Urbanyi, Brielle Closson and Shelby Mercer.
Returning, however, is a core group of five seniors: midfielder Marissa Johanns, defender Maelyn Vendt, midfielder/forward Mandalyn Foster, midfielder Kadience Karmol, and forward Sophia Carlo.
“They’re all four-year seniors, so they kind of know how I operate and my quirks and what makes me mad and what doesn't make me mad,” Bandeen said. “They'll definitely help with the group. We talked a little bit about ‘I expect you to be here on time, my expectations and what makes me mad and what doesn't make me mad’ (at a recent team meeting). And they're all going, ‘Yes, absolutely. That makes him mad, so let's not do that.’”
Karmol missed significant time last year due to a concussion as the Rangers finished 1-12-1.
“We’re just going to try to get better every day,” Bandeen said. “A lot of the girls are gonna be learning soccer for the first time, so the goal is just to get better every day.”
And that presents a fun opportunity for Bandeen.
“I've always loved to teach the game,” he said. “I've been coaching for 32 years, so I (obviously) enjoy teaching the game. It'll be interesting.
“The only thing I know is there's going to be a lot of green players, a lot of new faces, and we're just gonna have to work every day to get better and hopefully win a couple games.
“That makes things a lot more fun. It's fun to teach the game. It's fun to learn the game, but it's not fun to get your head beat every time you go out on the field either.”
