HUNTINGDON WOMEN’S SOCCER TEAM PUSHING AHEAD IN PRESEASON

MONTGOMERY, Ala. – Huntingdon College women's soccer coach Wes Anania has pushed his team during the first four days of preseason practice.

But Anania said his players have responded well.

"We've been working pretty hard the past few days," Anania said. "We could tell the girls were kind of worn out today, but overall the sessions have been pretty solid. I'm pretty happy with the results we're getting."

The team held three-a-days on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday before cutting back to two practices on Thursday.

"Game fitness is the biggest thing we're working on right now," Anania said. "With game fitness comes confidence. If you're not fit, you won't be as consistent as you need to be. A lot of what we've been doing is high intensity in order to get them to push themselves a little more."

Anania said several players have been stepping up. Among the leaders are senior Ginger Tyson, a captain the past two seasons, and keeper Jenny Burnash. Jessica Salinas and Kathleen Penney are two newcomers that have impressed the coaching staff.

"I think we're deeper this year than we have been the past couple of years," Anania said. "That's creating good competition throughout the practices. We have some really good freshmen that should be able to help us right away.

"We'll know a lot more about where we are when we have our first scrimmage on Aug. 27. We'll be able to see what we really have and pinpoint what we need to work on."

The Hawks open the season on Sept. 1 at Alabama State University with a 7 p.m. game.