Athletes for spring sports at Regina Dominican usually begin training when school comes back from Christmas break.  Head coach Kyle McClure and assistant coach Nick Brito have been working hard with the varsity soccer team in order to achieve winning results. As of Monday, March 23, the Panthers have a 1-3 record with captains Sarah Allworth ’16, Colleen Palmer 17’, and Caroline Baubonis ’17 leading the team.

Soccer is one of the most popular sports at Regina. Practices are held at Techny Towers in Northbrook  everyday. According to several members of the team, it seems as though spirits could not be higher.

McClure makes a point of keeping the team connected as friends so they can better communicate on the field. With only three games down, Elise Brewer ’18 says that they have been getting exponentially better each game and hope to make it to the Girls Catholic Athletic Conference.

To many, a 1-3 record may not seem like much, but Brewer explains how “the last team we played was extremely good, and I believe we held our own well.” Many schools have the advantage on Regina when it comes to size, but the Panthers don’t let that get in the way.

Practice for the soccer team consists of intense conditioning. The majority of time is spent on cardio, but McClure and Brito make sure to practice ball handling, possession, and shooting regularly. McClure is also the soccer coach for St. Patrick’s High School, so the Panthers practice with the St. Pat’s boys about once a month.

“It’s really fun and works us harder,” Brewer explains. “Playing with boys forces us to be a little bit more aggressive.”

There are four freshman on the varsity team for the spring 2016 season, and team bonding has allowed everyone to feel extremely close and comfortable with each other thanks to the captains.

“They give good advice and know what they’re talking about, and they don’t put themselves above us,” Brewer said happily.

When asked how far they expected to go, Brewer answers with a peppy, “We’ll probably win it all!”

Go Panthers!