With seven freshmen and just three seniors, the King’s girls soccer team is much younger than usual this fall. But the Knights have been competitive — they sport a 5-3-0 Cascade Conference record.
“They were nervous and timid (at the start of the season), but during the past two weeks, the learning curve, instead of being on an incline, it’s a vertical ‘up,’ ” King’s coach Nicole Gabelein said. “They’re comfortable and relaxed and not nervous. I see things from them now that I wasn’t seeing at the beginning, and that’s exciting. I felt these kids had something in them, but I wasn’t seeing it before. I’m seeing it now. It’s coming out to the light.”
The Knights have a core group of productive upperclassmen, including forward Katie Stella, who leads the team with 18 goals, defender Emma Fleming and midfielder Callie Wright.
“Katie is our leader on and off the field,” Gabelein said. “Emma has been an impact player for us. Callie creates chaos and is a playmaker. And (midfielder) Sarah Nielsen is another key player for us. She wins balls in the air and is key for us on set plays.”
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