Whitefish Bay girls soccer team ready to defend title

 

WHITEFISH BAY, Wis. (CBS 58) -- The Whitefish Bay girls soccer team is back where they belong this week -- at state.

"We have to play our game. We're a very talented team, we just have to showcase that through the state of Wisconsin," said Alair Posard, senior captain.

The defending champs come into the final four with a target on their backs.

"It's a little bit nerve-wracking but I think a lot of times it translates to how we play on the field. It brings up our energy. We know all these teams are wanting to beat us, they'll do everything they can to try to beat us," Sofia Englund, junior midfielder, said.

With so much pressure, the Blue Dukes took the edge off at Monday's practice playing kickball and a few other loose games.

"They understand it's a game," said Head Coach Rob Dubinski. "It's supposed to be fun. Coming to practice and making sure they're enjoying themselves while they're still getting things out of it."

"Coaches do a really good job balancing it all out and making sure that we're checked in when we need to be, but also it's high school soccer and we get to have fun a lot of the times and have fun with our team," Lucia Englund, junior forward, said.

The Englund twins lead the team in scoring. The D1-bound juniors have a special bond on and off the field.

"We've played with each other since we were like six years old, said Sofia Englund. "We know exactly how each of us play. I know where she wants the ball, I know what she's good at, she knows what I'm good at."

"I just think we have really good chemistry together, "Lucia Englund said. "We know each other and how we play really well. So on the field we know where each other are going to be without necessarily looking."

The top-seeded Blue Dukes will play Sauk Prairie in Thursday's semifinal.