HIGH POINT, N.C. – The group chats have been buzzing since last October.
Nearly a year of motivation has been fueling the fire under the High Point University women's soccer returners — led by captains
Emma Schossler,
Fain Buete, and
Alex DePerno — after coming a game shy of the Big South Conference Tournament when the to-be champs Radford University edged the Panthers by a goal in the regular-season finale on Oct. 26, 2022.
"I think coming off of last year and not accomplishing what we wanted to accomplish — not making the tournament and falling short in that way — there's like a hunger from everyone to get a different result this year," graduate defender
Schossler said. "We want to win. We have an understanding that we didn't accomplish what we wanted to, and we want to go further this year."
It's part of the reason
Schossler and Buete returned for their fifth year. The duo has been a piece of those championship winning teams, with
Schossler winning three rings and Buete — alike the senior
DePerno who has won two — vying to the program's last title in 2021 when the Panthers defeated Campbell, 2-1.
The feeling the trio experienced to lift HPU to its 13th Big South championship is what these captains want to get back to and they know it starts with them.
"My first couple years here, our teams have had repeated success,"
Schossler said. "We were regular-season champs and Big South Tournament champs, and it was kind of expected that we would be in the top two every year. Last year made us realize how bad we want it and that it is not going to be given to us.
"We've been texting all summer and reiterating that, 'This is not going to be easy, but this is what we are here to do.'"
Establishing the New Regime
There were a lot of moving parts last year.
On July 8, 2022, a new era of HPU women's soccer began with the hiring of Aaron
McGuiness a month before the season began. The Australian coach entered his first season as a Division I head coach with little time to implement his system and instill his vision.
Even then, the Panthers competed with every opponent and had only a pair of matches that were out of arms' reach. HPU had six one-goal losses, with three coming in conference play to keep them out of the Big South Tournament and the others versus UNC Greensboro, Marshall University and William & Mary.
The Panthers were just a step away from solidifying those victories. Now, fast-forward to a year later with a clear picture of expectations.
"I think coming back with our coaching staff that we had last season, it's been really nice to know what they want from us,"
DePerno said. "And to have such an experienced team with players that want to lead — it's been easier to bring in the freshmen and the transfers into our playing style and team culture."
The confidence between the coaches and returners grew throughout the fall season and transitioned into the spring, where the players were able to polish the tactics of
McGuiness' system and begin to prepare for the 2023 season.
It was a vital piece of growing the team chemistry and expectations for when the new players joined the team. Schossler, Buete and DePerno, who were named captains ahead of the 2023 season, knew that's what it would take to reach the anticipated end result.
"I think last year was a huge transition year, obviously getting a coaching staff right before the season started so that was a lot going into the season,"
Schossler said. "This year, I've seen a lot more confidence in the group and understanding the system and style of play going into the season.
"I think we have a lot of experience with players coming back, upperclassmen and leaders who have helped bring the underclassmen in. It's just been exciting to see how they've developed over the past two weeks and are already integrated into the team."
Team Chemistry Evolving
With two weeks of preseason and a pair of exhibition games in the books, the Panthers are rolling.
And it's exciting for the captains to see.
"All of the new players — transfers and freshmen — we play really well together,"
Buete said in regards to what she's learned during preseason. "We've been able to really mesh together over the past couple of weeks, which we weren't really able to do last year because everything was so brand new.
"This year, I can see a huge difference to play as a team, including those new players combined with our more veteran players, which is really exciting going forward."
Behind competitive efforts versus Pikesville and Wake Forest, the Panthers are already clicking on all cylinders and playing with a competitive drive that is bigger than themselves.
And to see that kind of effort shift from practice to an exhibition match, it'll prove dividends when HPU kicks off the real thing at home on Thursday, Aug. 17 versus Campbell at 7 p.m.
"A lot of the girls coming in and the returners, have shown a lot of grit and want to win during these past few games,"
DePerno said. "Even when fighting through adversity, it is really exciting to see new players coming in and wanting to make a difference and change the game."
The team two-a-days, preseason conditioning tests and workouts have brought the Panthers together and began igniting a type of team chemistry needed to accomplish the team's goals.
It's a feeling the captains have been working to develop and lead to erase the disappointment from a year ago and replace it with excitement. It's one the trio opened the conversation about last October to keep each other accountable and now they are ready to put the words into action for another title run.
"There's still a bunch of players on this team that won a championship in 2021," Buete said, "so I think a lot of us know what it takes to be able to win a championship, plus having the freshmen and transfers, and reiterating what it takes. I think it'll be good for us going forward and help us win those games and win that trophy in the end.
"Even in the spring season and this summer, we've been texting each other in our group chats like 'We know what we are here to do.'"
#GoHPU
