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By Mike Flanagan
Hometown Weekly Sports Editor
Wellesley High girls soccer enters the 2019 season coming off a year in which they were able to squeeze their way into the postseason with a 5-4-7 record.
Leading Wellesley in 2019 will be four senior co-captains in defender Abby Comella, midfielder Olivia Francis, midfielder Bridget Noonan and forward Izzy Turco.
The No. 14 Lady-Raiders fell, 3-1, to No. 3 Whitman-Hanson in the opening round of the Division I South Sectionals last November, and will use the memory of that tough defeat as motivation for this season, according to head coach Roger Bothe.
“Whitman-Hanson has had a great program for many years,” said Bothe. “A woman on the [United States] national team played there. I think we learned we can hang with top teams by tying Brookline and Natick, as well as keeping the Whitman Hanson game to 0-0 at halftime. Time to take the next step this year and come out as the winners in these games.”
As far as goals for this season, Bothe says he and his team look to make a deeper playoff run than 2018. Bothe notes that the team holds significant chemistry with one another and is a tight-knit group that he looks forward to coaching.
“We want to advance further in the playoffs than last year,” said Both. “We will also look to build on our regular season last year and use our combination of experienced players and talented younger players. It’s a great group of girls and I’m really excited to coach them.”
For funny and insightful sports analysis, follow Mike Flanagan on his personal Twitter @fLAno0.
