Season Preview: Young Girls Soccer Team Excited For New Era

Doug LeBrecht is entering his fifth season as head coach of the varsity girls soccer team and will be facing the challenge of trying to replace eight seniors this fall who made significant contributions to the program in recent years.

"It is unique for us that we have this many new kids," LeBrecht said. "We have nine freshmen players. But we have a JV roster almost entirely filled with high school kids. They're taking on two eighth graders and that's it. So, we have 13 girls there to choose from."

The Whalers return senior captain Madden Myers, who will be in net for her fourth season as the program’s keeper. Junior captain Harper LeBrecht also returns after leading the team in assists last fall. Senior Emma Woodbury will be counted on to provide offense, which she did at a very high level throughout her junior season en route to leading the Whalers in goals.

Nantucket will also be leaning on freshman Eden Myers, who will play defense in front of her sister.

“She is very defensively oriented,” LeBrecht said of Eden Myers. “Just like her sister. She has a lot of tenacity and a lot of grit. We have seven returning so we need four or five to step up from that younger group to fill the field. Lila Garrette did well (in our scrimmage). Caroline Chatti played well. There is some good, promising talent coming up. It is just a matter of getting them up to game speed. It is a big difference coming from the JV level or even the club level they’re playing on, they’re playing 14-year-olds and now they’re playing high school kids.”

LeBrecht said juniors Grace Schroeder, Molly Bedell, and sophomore Ruby Steadman will also be key players once again in the starting lineup.

“We are really strong down the middle of the field,” LeBrecht said. “So we definitely have something to build off of.”

Nantucket will begin their season on Thursday, September 10^th at 4 p.m. against the Falmouth Clippers at home at the Nobadeer Turf Field. You can view the full schedule here.