Olympus girls soccer team is few in numbers but big in heart

The pre-season proved rocky for the Titan soccer team—Olympus lost 3-1 to Riverton Aug. 9, 2-1 to East Aug. 18, and tied 1-1 with Bonneville Aug. 11. Senior team captain Savannah Spere scored the trio of goals for the Titans in the three games.

A 5-3 victory over Pineview Aug. 19 brightened the team’s outlook for the season, however. The Titans were solid from the beginning of the match, scoring three goals the first half and two the second. Spere claimed three goals, with freshmen Gabrielle Clark and Steph Nicholes each contributing a goal.

“This is a great group,” coach Chris Madsen said. “We did not have a huge number come out to tryouts, so we only have 28 healthy girls right now. Most teams have 36 to 40. But they work hard and are motivated to play.”

The Titans defeated Park City 4-3 Aug. 22, with Spere accounting for three goals and senior Lisa Christensen driving in the fourth. Olympus held on to the win despite three Park City goals scored in the second half.

Olympus had an intense pre-season, losing 2-1 to East Aug. 18, but beat Woods Cross 3-1 Aug. 25 and Murray 4-3 in overtime Aug. 30. The Titans faced Herriman Sept. 1 and Hillcrest Sept. 8 (both after press deadline). 

“Our team is definitely going to be fit,” Madsen said. “We have freshmen and sophomores who are having to play varsity, and then go out and play JV as well. I can already see signs of it—they can play strong all the way to the end of the game.”

In addition to low numbers, the Titans have had to deal with the challenges associated with having their field torn up, thanks to the Olympus reconstruction project that is ongoing this fall. Team members are practicing down the street at Crestview Elementary School, where they had to bring their own soccer goals to train on. Home games will be played at Skyline High School.

Olympus is also missing one of its leading scorers from last year, junior Whitney Back, who suffered a long-boarding injury in the summer and will be out the entire season.

“I think it’s going to be a tough season, but I’m excited about the team,” Madsen said. “I’m proud of them. Now we just have to keep our fingers crossed that they can stay healthy. We can’t afford to lose any.”