Girls Soccer Squad Eyes the Playoffs

Conference re-alignments have the Long Beach Girls Soccer Team seeking to re-establish their identity after a lackluster 4-8 record in 2009.

The Lady Marines look to be deep and talented, but they're also a young squad. While the question of skill versus inexperience looms large, both the head coach and his team are excited and optimistic about their chances for a successful 2010 campaign. It's a run they hope will lead to a trip to the Conference III playoffs.

Team Name: Long Beach Marines

'09 Record: 4-8

Head coach: T.J. Burke

Top players: Shannon Horgan, a freshman sweeper-center halfback; Emily Aguedello, sophomore center midfield.

Team breakdown:
Despite their youth, Horgan and Aguedello are both second-year starters. The team is comprised of mostly of freshman, sophomores and juniors.

Coach Burke sees both the plus side and downside to a youthful roster.  While lack of senior leadership does concern him, he's also far more enthusiastic about his deep pool of talent.

"We are very skilled," he said. "We have three times as many skilled players as we did three years ago."

In reality, the team is not as inexperienced as they appear on paper. While the bulk of the roster is filled with underclass students, eight players are returning starters.

Burke trusts this experience will have an impact as the Marines battle their way through an unfamiliar schedule – a by-product of conference re-alignment that veers away from a talent-based standard to one based on enrollment size.

"With the experience of the eight starters, I think they can battle through things easier," Burke said. "Our overall skill level is just so much higher."

Expectations: 
Both Horgan and Aguedello see the playoffs as a real possibility. "This team is hoping to get to the finals [of the conference]," Horgan said. "We're a young team. We're actually excited to see what other teams are expecting from us."

Aguedello knows what she must do to contribute both individually and within the team concept to ensure the Lady Marines success. "I need to get more goals," she said. "You have to be on your game and pick everyone up."

Key games: 
Once again, re-alignment is a major wildcard in the Marines' 2010 plans. The change in groupings and scheduling have Burke feeling that he could face teams that are top 15 teams, while his squad might be more of a top 25 team.

"We're seeing a lot of new teams," he said. "We match up very well with Carey. That's always a tough game."

Other key matchups include Calhoun and Valley Stream Central.

"Our goal is to make the playoffs and make some noise," Burke said. "We want to put Long Beach Girls Soccer back on the map."