Will Arrowhead Reload And Run It Back At State?

A penalty-kick shootout knocked Arrowhead girls soccer out of the state tournament last season. That semifinal matchup featured multiple comeback goals from Madison West, a nearly hour-long delay due to lightning, and a thrilling end to the PK shootout–it was a match that truly could’ve gone either way.

The Warhawks will set their sights on continuing their success from last spring. By leaning on depth, discipline, and a possession-based identity, they look to make consecutive trips to the state tournament.

A possession style is always difficult to execute, especially at the high school level. Players need to have the technical ability on-ball to be able to play quickly under pressure, and they need to have a strong tactical understanding of how to break down opposing defenses. It’s rare to see this come together at this level.

When asked about how he plans to use preseason and other training sessions to mold his players, Coach Asher stated:

“I’m lucky… the majority of our girls play year-round, and a lot of them play on teams that do really well and are well coached. While they’re not necessarily playing the way we play, they’re not a million miles away from it, so it’s not the most difficult thing to get them all back together and quickly find our rhythm again.”

Asher dove into how the program is set up to produce players fitting his style. When players have years of experience in a possession-based system, it becomes much smoother for the girls to adjust as they head into the spring season.

Making sure his team is accustomed to this style will be pivotal this year. Arrowhead is another team set to play a challenging schedule. They will face many difficult non-conference matches, including a gauntlet run of matches in the Classic Eight Conference.

Arrowhead’s conference has always been one of, if not the most competitive in the state, and Asher agrees; Three teams from the Classic Eight managed to make it all the way to the state tournament, including Arrowhead, Muskego, and Catholic Memorial–the Warhawks were the only ones last year without a title.

Despite this incredibly tough schedule, Arrowhead has only lost one regular-season game in the past two seasons, including none in its conference. Despite being undefeated, Arrowhead came up short of the conference title after a draw to the aforementioned Catholic Memorial. This saw Muskego as the lone Classic Eight Conference champion. 

To make sure this doesn’t happen again this year, Coach Asher believes his squad’s mentality and focus need refinement:

“It’s about concentration, mentality, and making sure that we’re focused and that we don’t switch off in those games and we understand their importance… It’s a ridiculously competitive conference, and there are a lot of good players in there. It’s a great challenge. Like, it’s such good preparation for the rest of the season playing in that conference because we’re up against it every Tuesday.”

Apart from conference matchups, some of the biggest games that Arrowhead will play this season are their rematches against DSHA and Madison West. Asher expects to put his team in a position to win both of those games. 

However, Asher is particularly focused on learning from these games rather than worrying about the result itself. This is to better understand how to prepare challenging playoff opponents, especially DSHA, a team Arrowhead is likely to face off against in sectionals.

Coach Asher always wants a strong schedule to challenge his players. However, last year he believed he leaned too heavily into that idea. He stated that he had his girls play against 4 top opponents in the first month of their season, which may have put too much pressure on his team.

“We went through that schedule undefeated, which put us at a state tournament. I mean, you can't really argue with it because it worked. This year, I wanted to keep it strong, but I didn’t want to put us under as much pressure as I had put us under last year… I think I balanced it a little better this year.”

Balance will be the key to another successful season from Arrowhead as they will have to see many new faces step up and lead this team. Asher said that last season, players Brylie Walos and Avery Fitzgerald combined for 40 goals between the two. Coach Asher is unsure if they can replace that many goals with this year’s squad.

If goals are less abundant this spring, Arrowhead may have to focus on winning games defensively. Asher believes that being defensively sound and tight will be key. He added by stating that other players will have to step up to put goals in the back of the net for them.

Despite the loss of integral players, large parts of their back line and midfield will remain intact this spring. This includes midfielder Amara Leppla, now playing her fourth year with Arrowhead.

Coach Asher didn’t hesitate when asked about Leppla’s impact: “As a high school athlete, to put three seasons together the way that she’s already put them together is unheard of,” he continued, “I think the most impressive thing is how consistent she’s been.”

Leppla is already in the history books despite not having yet graduated. Last spring, during playoffs, she scored a school record six goals during one match. With Walos leaving, Leppla now has the opportunity to step up and be the true star midfielder every state-winning team needs.

Another key player returning will be the younger sister of Avery Fitzgerald, Chloe. The junior defender has a tall frame, which gives her an advantage over nearly every other player when defending in the air. 

“Chloe has the potential to be one, if not the best defender in the state this year, in my opinion… She’s really got a good head on her shoulders for the game and for being a teammate and leader,” said Asher.

While players like Chloe Fitzgerald and Leppla are established stars for Arrowhead, players like Audrey Willoughby are lesser known but may play a huge role in the Warhawks’ success this year. Asher said that Willoughby has “quietly been very, very good for us.”

Over previous seasons, Willoughby was an integral part of how Coach Asher wants his team to execute on the pitch. The junior forward will have the opportunity to finish chances created by the midfield to help Arrowhead recoup those missing goals from last spring.

After being named to the Classic Eight All-Conference Second Team last year, she's not completely unknown to her competition. However, Asher believes that she could step up into a larger role and make a bigger name for herself to teams across Wisconsin.

The losses of Walos and Fitzgerald leave a real void within this team. In high school soccer, you can’t rebuild an entire squad. What Coach Asher is aiming to do is reload. With a critical core of his team returning this spring, Arrowhead has the pieces to make another deep run. This program has earned its reputation for being a championship contender. Now, it must continue to prove it again this season.