By Dan Truttschel
Correspondent
There is a new person at the head of the East Troy High School girls soccer program this spring, as former boys assistant coach Ed Furey takes over for the departed Mike Bottum.
But that doesn’t mean the goal – or the expectation – has changed.
East Troy returns its top-four scorers from the 2014 squad that finished 11-9-1 overall and 9-6-1 in the Rock Valley Conference.
Furey made no bones about the outlook for this spring.
“(We want to) compete for the conference championship,” he said.
To make that happen, the Trojans will rely on an experienced core of girls who are back again in 2015.
At the front of the pack is junior midfielder Brianna Probst, who was a first-team, All-RVC pick last year. In statistics through 17 games from 2014, she had seven goals and 21 assists.
Also back after they were named to All-RVC teams are senior midfielder-forward Monica Zoellner, a second-team selection, and senior defender-forward Olivia Healy, who was honorable mention.
Zoellner had 21 goals and six assists through 17 games last year, while Healy had nine goals and six assists. Another leading scorer, senior forward Brianna Casper, returns after she had 13 goals and five assists as a junior.
“We have good leadership from a core of returning players with lots of experience,” Furey said.
That foursome is joined by sophomore defender Kayla Casper and junior defender Savana Black as the girls Furey will count on all spring, he said.
“I expect them to work with the rest of the team to improve the quality of their play as a team,” Furey said.
Also looking to contribute to the varsity are senior Rebecca Sanders (forward-defender); junior Saki Kushida (midfielder); sophomores Sydney Probst (midfielder), Amaya Bisabarros-Hudec (defender), Madison Rosin (defender-midfielder), Mariana Nelson (midfielder), Kaelyn Sperle (forward) and Jessica Gulig (goalie); and
Freshmen Anna Stephen (midfielder), Lauren Russell (midfielder), Rachel Stute (forward), Milena Nelson (defender-goalie) and Joy Salentine (midfielder-forward).
Looking at the RVC, Furey said he expects defending champion McFarland, which was 12-0 last year, and Big Foot, which was 12-3-1, to be the top-two teams to watch, along with Evansville.
But the Trojans should be right in the mix if all goes as planned.
“(We want to be at the) top of the conference and to compete at sectionals,” Furey said.
East Troy is off to a 1-1 start early in the spring, as it fell 2-1 to Lake Mills March 31 in the opener, but bounced back for a convincing 9-2 win Monday night over Clinton.
Individual statistics from both matches were unavailable.
East Troy is back in action next Monday night, April 13, when it hosts Edgerton at 6:45 p.m. The Trojans travel to Whitewater Thursday, April 16.
Ready for challenge
Furey, a longtime club soccer coach in Milwaukee, Mukwonago and East Troy, is in his first varsity head coaching position this spring. He will be assisted by Cheryl Bosko.
He’s excited for the opportunity.
“I am looking forward to this new challenge,” he said. “In club soccer, you work with a team of players two or three times per week. In high school, you work with them five to six times per week during the season.
“I love seeing the light bulb go on when a player starts to understand something new or watching the confidence grow in a player as they start to see their own improvement. This is why I love coaching.”
