Oakton women’s soccer aims to keep momentum going

The bar is set high for the Oakton women’s soccer program this season after coming off a 12-2-1 campaign in 2015. However, Head Coach Steve Brody is confident the Owls will continue their winning ways.

“We have many key players returning, and we’ll be looking to build on last year’s success,” he said. “It’s just a matter of looking for the right chemistry, offensively and defensively, with the incoming new talent.”

The Owls outscored opponents by a wide margin (52-7) in 2015, and their foes should once again struggle putting the ball in the back of the net with the return of Brenda Valdez (West Leyden High School) and Maria Berrum (Glenbard East High School) patrolling as defenders. Also, Oakton will boast the talents of goalkeeper Doris Garcia (Fenton High School). In part-time duty in 2015, Garcia recorded three shutouts, along with a 0.20 goals against average. On offense, returning midfielder Jinelly Sanchez (Amundsen High School) will provide some fire power after tallying 12 points for the Owls in 2015.

Adding to this year’s mix are talented newcomers defender Ruth Mazon (Waukegan High School) and goalkeeper Medina Skenderi (Niles West High School).

Last season, the Owls finished 4-1 in the Illinois Skyway Collegiate Conference, and Brody is aiming for his team to improve upon that performance in 2016.

“Our goal is to win a conference title,” he said. “We’ve finished second three of the last five years and are looking to get over the hump by adding some trophies to our showcase.”

The Owls start the season on the road Wednesday, Aug. 24 against College of DuPage. Oakton looks to continue its home dominance (8-2 in 2015) when it hosts St. Charles Community College (Missouri) on Sunday, Aug. 28.