Lakes girls soccer just won its first league title in 15 years. The key? The weight room
Days before the Lakes High School girls soccer team was set to play Bonney Lake in the team’s 3A Pierce County League opener in September, second-season coach David Chavez told his players they were heading into the weight room.
Faces dropped. There was audible grumbling and complaining. Disbelief, even.
It was part of Chavez’s plan to install a rigid strength and conditioning regimen into the program. Lifting weights and grueling workouts were now a priority (yes, even days before an important game). Chavez told his team repeatedly to give him three weeks of total commitment; there was a method to his madness, he promised. If it wasn’t working, he’d back off.
The players were physically exhausted.
“We were very skeptical,” said senior center back Bella Hanna. “Very.”
In recent years, Bonney Lake and Stadium have dominated the 3A PCL. It just so happened that Lakes would face both those teams in the first week of the league schedule. Lakes tied Bonney Lake on Sept. 14, 1-1. Then two days later, a 1-0 win against Stadium.
Skepticism suddenly turned into belief. Now, as the regular season draws to a close, the Lancers (12-0-1 overall, 10-0-1 PCL 3A) still haven’t lost a game and have officially clinched the program’s first league championship since 2006. Lakes beat Bonney Lake 2-1 on Oct. 7 to take the season series and won both its games against Stadium.
“I think we complained more than we should have,” said senior forward Aly Bryan, one of the team’s top goal scorers. “It definitely worked out. I think we kind of bonded over being so sore all the time, working out all the time. I feel like this is the best shape I’ve been in physically in my entire life. I think it really helped us come together.”
The team also worked out with the football team in the summer, lifting weights and doing conditioning workouts outside.
“Past seasons before, I’ve never been in the weight room,” Hanna said. “That’s not something we’ve ever done before. The (football team) is always in there. It was nice to talk to them. They know what to do in there. We were like, ‘Uh, we’ve never been in here before.’ So it was nice to have that kind of support.”
The strength and conditioning program paid dividends.
“The biggest thing it has shown up in is, I ask them how they’re feeling after the games,” Chavez said. “They tell me they feel like they can keep going. It also shows up in the second half when we show more conditioning than the opposing team. The opposing team, their endurance has waned, and we keep ours at a steady pace.”
There’s a psychological edge, too. The girls feel more confident.
“I feel stronger, faster, quicker,” Hanna said. “It’s definitely helped me. Endurance-wise, we’re not as tired as our opponents are. … Can we outlast our opponents? Are we stronger than our opponents? That’s what we’ve been working on this whole season.”
Lakes has been strong defensively, led in goal by senior keeper Mia Banner, the younger sister of current Pittsburgh Steelers offensive tackle Zach Banner. Junior defender Natalie Weathers brings blazing speed to the team, while freshman Grace Hanna complements her older sister Bella in the defense. Junior Desirae Campos and senior Phoenix Schumacher provide a presence in the midfield.
Lakes will face the 3A South Sound Conference’s No. 3 seed in the opening round of the West Central III/Southwest bidistrict tournament at Harry Lang Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 30 at 1 p.m.
