MORGANTOWN — You might expect University girls’ soccer coach Graham Peace to have lost some of his characteristic positive energy heading into this season.
Not only did last year’s Hawks uncharacteristically struggle a bit after their season was abruptly interrupted due to the pandemic, but a mere six weeks ago, his beloved England men’s team, up early, failed to hold onto the lead, falling to Italy in the UEFA European Championship in penalty kicks, 2-1.
While discussing the Three Lions’ devastating defeat is still off-limits — “it’s a tragedy that’s still too painful to talk about,” he quipped — Peace and his team instead are bursting with passion as they return to action this fall.
“I was a little worried about the numbers coming back, and how committed we’d be,” he said, “but I’ve been very pleased with the attitude and energy heading into the season. We have 11 freshmen, and they’ve brought a great attitude that has been an infectious breath of fresh air to the whole team.
“We’ve got 10 seniors who had their junior year derailed by circumstances beyond their control, and while that was frustrating, it’s also life, and bigger than themselves, and I think we’re all just so happy to reconnect and enjoy the team-building process.”
Senior holding midfielder Lilly Overfield has found that she and her teammates are appreciating the little things more.
“Just getting back to normal has been great,” she said. “Hanging out in the locker room, watching matches on TV together, all the off-the-field things that build a team. I think everyone realizes that we took those things for granted before, but not now. We’re forging those connections, growing together as a team, learning how to communicate with and trust each other, and I’m so proud of how hard everyone is working. We are confident that we have a great chance to get back to the state tournament.”
“I think we’ve ramped back up pretty well so far,” Peace said, “and I think the returners realize what they lost last year. They are energized to make the most of every opportunity to be together, grow together, and become the best players and best team they can be. We hope that we get a chance for a normal season — locker rooms and bus trips and a full, uninterrupted slate of games — and we’re very excited to get started.”
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