By Ian Waldron

The Edmonds-Woodway girls soccer team finished their 2011 campaign on a hot streak, winning nine of their final 11 games and taking home the district championship title after beginning the season 0-4-2.

But a trip to the state tournament would leave the Warriors empty handed after a 5-1 loss to Gig Harbor in the first round of the playoffs. And while leaving the party early is never fun for coaches or players, head coach Bill LeCompte says he expects that experience to play into his team’s favor in 2012.

“We are just a bit older as a core group and the players have worked hard over the last year with their teams,” LeCompte said. “They are coming back with a mental picture of what they have done and what it will take to pursue their goal to go further this season.”

The Warriors return four seniors from the 2011 squad, including midfielder and forward Lindsey Aranda, who scored the team’s lone goal in the 2011 district championship match. LeCompte says those upperclassmen know what it will take to produce a successful result this year.

“I expect our seniors to carry the bulk of the leadership for the team this fall,” he added. “There are many talented players on our squad, but it will be the model of hard work and desire our seniors need to display to help the whole.”

Despite their ability to get off quality shots, the Warriors struggled early in 2011 to find the back of the net. However, the team broke through after the slow start and went on to defeat Jackson 1-0 in the Wesco Championship tournament.

LeCompte says the experience of rebounding from adversity was a learning opportunity for the girls, and he expects that to play into how they approach the game this time around.

“Our team needs to stay focused on ‘our game,’ not the opponents we face,” LeCompte said. “This is not to say that we can ignore the other teams. We need to play our style and assert that style early in games to make the teams we play adjust to us.”

With last season being their first district title since 2003, the Warriors have definitely made a name for themselves as one of the premier squads in the Wesco South. And LeCompte is holding his players to those expectations as they begin the new season.

“I expect them to pick up where we left off,” he said. “I believe that they feel the same way. We have a pretty experienced team from last year, [and] we have been working harder in practices and there is a sense of unfinished business with the group.”

The Warriors began the 2012 campaign with a 3-0 victory over Mariner on Sept. 4. Game two of the season takes place Sept. 5 against Cascade at Everett Memorial Stadium at 7:30 p.m.

Ian Waldron is a 2006 graduate of Edmonds-Woodway High School.