Monessen girls welcome additions from Cal
By JEFF OLIVER
MVI Sports
For the first time as a girls soccer coach at Monessen, Bill Phillips can see some light at the end of the tunnel.
Well, at least he sees numbers.
As the first season of the Monessen co-op with California in girls soccer, Phillips says he is thrilled to have so many girls on the roster at one time.
“I have 22 girls on the team for now and I have a feeling I may get a couple more,” said Phillips. “That’s the biggest thing. In the past, it was tough to play with only 12 or 13 girls on the roster. This is a little refreshing.”
A year ago, Monessen struggled with numbers and barely made it through the season. At California, things were even worse as girls had to play on the boys team because there were not enough to field a girls-only squad.
While Phillips said he won’t have a complete handle on his squad until later this week, he has a good idea because of the summer conditioning program.
“We have good numbers and we have players with soccer ability,” he said. “So far, I think the co-op is going to work out well. I think it’s going to be a good thing.”
Phillips said he is happy with the way the players from the two schools have blended together.
“They are meshing well,” he said. “Kids are resilient and these girls are no different. They seem to get along well and they work together well.
“I mean, if you look at the (Mon Valley Independent) summer basketball league or AAU teams, you have kids from other schools playing together. I really don’t see any problem.”
One thing is for certain: Monessen will have lots of players with game experience to count on.
The best of the group may be junior Aaliyah Rice, a midfielder who was one of the Greyhounds’ bright spots a year ago.
“We will depend a lot on Aaliyah. She can play,” Phillips said.
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