Libby soccer teams shooting for improved results
The 2019-2020 Libby High School soccer teams are going to be facing a good year as head coach Eric Kapan is expecting the best out of his boys and girls teams.
Soccer is a very popular sport at Libby High School and will be expecting a great turn out.
“Soccer is such a team-oriented sport,” Kapan said. “I have a great group of young ladies and men who work hard and have skill levels from never-played-before to well-above-average.”
Kapan is a very busy coach leading the two teams. His expectations for this year are faith, family, education, and sports.
“As I have said during my last two seasons, the greatest accomplishment the two teams have had is that virtually all the players have received All-State Academic Awards. To me that says it all.” Kapan said.
To be able to play on the soccer team players need to have a passing GPA (3.5 or greater).
“It is an amazing experience to see your team receive academic awards,” he said.
The teams kick off the season Aug. 30 at Hamilton and Aug. 31 at Corvallis.
On the field, he hopes to see the girls team improve. The girls team scored 23 goals in the last two years, and won two games last year after they had not won a game in six years.
He expects to see the team improve their record and grow as a team in the upcoming season.
This is Kapans first year coaching the boys team, which finished the 2018 season winless.
“The standards that I hold for the girl’s team also apply to the boys. I know they have not won a game in a long time and it would be great to get them playing time with only one substitution. I want to keep them healthy and enjoying the game.”
As for the incoming seniors, he hopes they will work hard at achieving the goals of the team.
“I am always looking forward to building relationships with these young adults. For me, it is about being able to speak into their lives through soccer about life choices. My memories of my former coaches are mostly bad. We got swore at a lot and it was all about the score at the end of the game. I want these athletes to remember the soccer experience as fun and valuable, where they built healthy relationships that will help them throughout their adult lives.
“I love teaching whether it is in my job as an RN or at church and especially to these soccer players. I think of it like a detective, trying to find out what makes them tick or motivates them. How am I going to help them to get the best out of themselves.” Kapan added.