New Head Soccer Coach and Season Recap

Gabriella Mathiellis

The Lady Mustangs have began their fall season with a spectacular start. They currently have 8 wins, 0 losses, and 2 ties, and are looking forward to making it another year in the playoffs. For many years, the girls have been lead to success by former coach Todd Church, and now are in the hands of Chloe Fadenholz. Chloe has played collegetivetly at Cleveland State University for four years, and brings nothing but greatness to Strongsville soccer. When asked about qualities she attains that motivate the girls she said, “bringing the energy is key as well as having a connection with your soccer family.” I could see the light in her eyes as she chatted on about her passion for the game and her goals for this season. It is clear that Strongsville soccer has attained yet another coaching legend.

When asked about the strengths of the team, Taylor Demmerle (senior), stated “we have a strong defensive line, the midfield is confident, and having a connection with a coach helps a lot.” It is amazing how in just a short period of time, Fadenholz has made a connection with the girls. Her personality described by Hailey Hightower (senior) is, “very passionate and energetic,” which aids to motivate the girls to success on and off the field. Interestingly, Fadenholz also participates with the girls during their workouts, because she feels that she is not going to ask them to do something difficult while she is a spectator. This illuminates how hands on her coaching is, and how she leads the team in practice. Moreover, it is clear Chloe is dedicated to improving the girls skills every day alongside her.

When comparing the past few games, Coach Fadenholz expressed that Loveland high school (in Cincinnati) was the most challenging. The entire game was a vigorous battle, but as predicted- the lady mustangs rose to the challenge and won. Chloe commented, the “game could have gone either way that day,” which proves just how strong the lady mustangs are because they powered through and did not give up. The lady mustangs are also known for their famous “hierarchies” where a part of practice is focused on footwork to improve their skills and “add a good competitive edge to get to the next level,” as stated by Fadenholz. Moreover, the time spent fine-tuning footwork is crucial because it can determine the players ability to compete one and one with another. Furthermore, the hard work has clearly paid off because of the win and the lady mustangs determination to be at the next level.

Despite any outcome of a match, Chloe stands by three basic principles. First, is to work hard. This entails leaving it all on the field, and putting in your best effort. Hailey described the most significant phrase Chloe preaches which is, “encouraging the girls to work hard and give it your all.” Next, is to take something away from the game. Improving by one or two percent is what matters, because you the player that is bettering themself. Finally, it is important to have fun. Those who are in love with the game of soccer have a passion for it- and it shows on the field. They are the athletes that do more besides practice, coach other kids, and lead the team. In final, Taylor commented the most significant words Fadenholz preaches to the team are, “to keep on pushing to work hard. If you work hard in practice, it shows at games, and there is a better result.”

Overall, the lady mustangs are a very talented team because of their ability to adjust to a new coach, which further illustrates how motivated they are to do well. With Chloe Fadenholz coaching, there is no doubt the rest of the season will not be anything but epic for the 2022-2023 players.