The word “family” gets tossed around a lot in high school sports. Every team says it, especially at the start of the season when everyone is optimistic about the potential for the new season.
The real test of a family is how they get each other through the tough times. In the case of the Niagara-Wheatfield Lady Falcons soccer team, this is one group that says family and truly means it.
“Right now we’re really focused on our whole team atmosphere,” senior captain Michelle Terbot said.
“We play as a team. We win as a team. We don’t play for ourselves we play for every girl on the field.”
Three games into the 2016 season the Lady Falcons are playing well indeed-winning twice and losing once.
Leading the way for coach Pete Cerny are his senior captains Michelle Terbot, who plays forward and midfield, and senior defender Danielle Thaler.
Cerny says Terbot has done an excellent job of taking younger girls under her wing and guiding them in a supportive, helpful manner. Terbot has five goals, including the game-winner in a 4-1 win over North Tonawanda on Sept.3.
Thaler, meanwhile, leads a defensive unit that also features Erin Wegryzn in front of freshman keeper Hannah Wilson.
With 14 underclassmen in a line up that features six players in 10th grade or younger, the Falcons will most definitely be leaning on their captains and other seniors Jessy Thompson and Chloe DenHase to not only lead by example, but also balance when a bit of tough love is in order to help the girls take their game to that next level.
“Danielle and I, and a lot of the older girls, because our team is so young we’re picking them up,” Terbot said.
“We want to have that older sister feel. If someone gets hurt or someone gets down we pick ’em back up and we encourage them. If we do say anything negative we always try to compliment them and keep reinforcement positive.”
Offensively, the Falcons will also get some scoring pop from sophomore Samantha Maghrak, who can also play goal. Junior Brianna Zayatz will help control play in the midfield.
“They truly feel like every time we have the ball it’s a scoring opportunity,” head coach Pete Cerny said.
“They know it’s not gonna happen right away, but we feel like at the end of that sequence we can score every time.”
Suffering its first loss to Grand Island, 4-1, the Falcons as a whole look like they are more than capable of finishing in the top half of the Niagara Frontier League.
“It is a team,” Cerny said. “It is all 11 (on the field) and it is all 18 (total).”
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