Credit to Kaylin Mort

Senior Morgan Smith poses for a picture during media day.

Morgan Smith – Girls Soccer

Q: What is your name and how do you spell it?

A: “Morgan Smith”

Q: What position do you play?

A: “I play the midfield.”

Q: What have you been doing to prepare for the season?

A: “So I’ve been playing a lot of club soccer, so that’s like three days a week. I’ve been going to the gym a lot. Yeah, just a lot of on ball work and off ball work.”

Q: What goals are you hoping to achieve this season?

A: “I think that this season is definitely big. It’s gonna have a lot of goals for us this year. I think winning districts is probably my biggest. Even making it to state I think is achievable for our group and would be a great goal for us.”

Q: What will North need to improve to be successful this season?

A: “I think finishing our chances. I think we got a lot of offensive opportunities last year and so getting even more of those chances and just being able to capitalize on those, because I think defensively, we were a really great team last year, and we didn’t lose much of that.”

Q: What are you looking forward to this season?

A: “I’m looking forward to all my time with the girls. They’re all just, like, my best friends, and I love being around them every single day. And so just having that time with the team and just building those relationships.”

Q: What makes this season different from others?

A: “I feel like especially last year, we were very young. And I think even coming into this year, we have a very young team. But it’s a lot of quality young players. And so I think, we just all are very, gritty and really want to win. And I think that that’s different than we’ve had in the past. And I think it’s just such a good, intense group of girls that just want the best for each other.”

Q: What makes club season different from school season?

A: “Club is definitely a higher level. It’s very, very, very competitive. And it’s at times it can be where it can get negative. Whereas high school, like, it can get negative. But I think club can be harsh. And I think the coaching is a lot stricter.”

Q: What was the season like last year?

A: “Last year, it was,I will say it’s a lot better than my freshman sophomore year. I didn’t have a great first two years on the high school team. But last year was a great step up. Havermale was a great coach for us last year. And it just, it was definitely better than it’s been in the past. It was a solid group, and I think a good building block for this year.”

Q: Who was a leader on the team last year?

A: “I think Ellie McCoy, she’s another senior, senior center back. I think just having her, she obviously just wants the best for these girls. just like all of us, but she just really cares about each player individually, as a person. And so she just really kind of stepped up even when our other seniors couldn’t, and just kind of was like that big sister role for those other younger girls.” 

Q: Has the team been preparing for the season together?

A: “Yeah, so we’ve been having preseason workouts. Inside and outside when it’s, I think, above like 30 degrees, he’ll have them go outside. But yeah, even indoor, like playing futsal, getting a lot of conditioning in. I know we always start them with like 30 minutes of conditioning. And so I think always having that is helpful because we have not had that in the past.”

Q: What’s the team history like against Central?

A: “So, we haven’t had the best results (against Central). I will say, it’s always such a competitive game, always competitive. Obviously one of our bigger rivals. It’s always been a good game. We haven’t gotten the results we wanted in a long time, but always competitive.”

Q: Does anyone on your team have pregame rituals?

A: “I know some people, like, have something in their bag. Before every game, I know sometimes I’ll make sure my, like, sock that’s labeled right is on my left foot, and my left is labeled on my right. Last year, before every game, Lexi Lohnes would put on my captain’s fans for me. Um, and that was just kind of what we did before every year.”

Q: What was your favorite part of last season?

A: “I think, obviously, I’m gonna repeat it again, but just our team chemistry is so good, and we, like, there’s just no negativity and no problems with our team. And so a big moment for us last year was our senior night last year. We won an overtime against Zumalt East and it just kind of brought us all so close together. Like, we just had a lot of good team wins last year that I think just kind of set us up for success for this year.” 

Q: Was that your favorite game of last season?

A: “I would say yes (Zumwalt East game) for sure. It just was so high energy. There was a bunch of people there. And obviously, when you win, it’s great, but winning at home with a big stand, it’s like, a lot of people at your game, and then just that kind of game. It just was so intense and those are just the best games to win.”

Q: What do you expect the team’s record to be this season?

A: “I definitely expect a winning record, which I think with the teams that we play is definitely achievable, but it’s definitely going to be a challenge. We haven’t had a winning record in the past, but I think with the talent that we have this year and the talent that a lot of those other schools might lack compared to us, I think we should have a winning record this year.”

Q: What’s the game you are most excited for this season?

A: “I’m very, very, very excited for Central. I think that, like other years, it’s gonna be very competitive, but I think this year, we have a very, very good shot of winning that game. I’m just expecting it to be such a good competitive game.”

Q: What’s your favorite memory of high school soccer?

A: “Honestly, probably our game against Zumalt East. I just think that we, I feel like before that game, we, like, were all in the locker room and we were getting hyped and everything, like, and all of our games are hype, but that just, that game, like, sits in my head, like, it just was such a great game.”

Q: What will need to happen for North to come out on top this year?

A: “Yes, I think, just making sure we’re all staying together. Like I said, our chemistry last year was great, and I think that that’s what gave us so much success. And I think just even in the hard moments, like leaning on each other.”

Q: Is there anything that you would like to add?

A: “No, just excited for the season.”

Q: Thank you for your time.

A: “Of course.”