Bellbrook girls soccer kicks it into high gear
BELLBROOK, Ohio — After competing as the smallest Division 1 school in Ohio throughout my first three years of coaching, the Bellbrook High School women’s soccer team dropped down to Division 2 for the 2023 season. The state sets divisions prior to every season, based on enrollment numbers and the number of schools participating in each sport.
We faced a very challenging schedule this season, loaded with Division 1 opponents for most of our non-conference games. Our SWBL (Southwestern Buckeye League) Southwestern Division changed for the 2023 season, with the addition of Ross and Edgewood, along with Monroe and Franklin. We also played Alter, Carroll and Oakwood.
At the end of Sep., we were 10-0-3. We beat Beavercreek, whom Bellbrook has never defeated before, and Alter, whom we hadn’t beaten since 2011. We also battled to ties against Division 1 schools Springboro and undefeated Milford (the No. 2 team in the state).
Six seniors returned this year, including Wright State University commit Alyssa Peh. Junior Jordan Frantz returned in goal, after making 211 saves and giving up only 32 goals in 18 games in 2022. Jordan was also named First Team All-District in 2022. In addition to those two, 11 players participated in National Championship Soccer events last summer. Nine team members played in the United States Youth Soccer National Championships in Orlando, Florida; and two played in the ECNL (Elite Clubs National League) Regional League National Championships in Richmond, Virginia.
Soccer is a beautiful game that truly takes a team effort to be successful in. When that happens, it’s a complete joy to watch; however, in the competitive matches, just one play out of 80 minutes can either win or lose the game. The best team doesn’t always win, which is both a blessing and a curse. The benefits of dealing with success, failure, and the ups and downs of a competitive athletic season help our players in the future. That’s sometimes hard to see in the moment, but long term it will be there.
We expect every player to always bring a good attitude, treat others with respect and always put forth their best effort. We constantly talk about the fact that we play the same opponent every night: ourselves. If we give our absolute best effort and try to be better than we were the day before, the score will take care of itself.
High school athletes represent their school and community. Team bonding and creating a family atmosphere is critical for success. We work extremely hard to eliminate negative self-talk and empower our players with high self-confidence and self-esteem. Sports are an incredible mirror of the real world, and creating better people is always one of our goals.
I love seeing players succeed, not only in final scores, but in their everyday lives. I want to hear about what’s going on in their lives outside of soccer—to create relationships. Whether they need letters of recommendation or advice, I am always there for them.
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