Just three games into their season, the new attitude Solebury Spartans surpassed their 2021 win total.
Solebury (6-1, 5-1 PJAA White) opened with a 6-1 win over Kohelet Yeshiva and sandwiched a game two loss with a 4-0 blanking of Collegium Charter. On Tuesday, they trounced conference foe Community Academy of Philadelphia 9-0.
“Our midfield and our attack are the strength of our team,” observed coach Tommy Harkanson. “Our junior captain, Annalise Houghton, is the creator. She finishes as well. She has 10 goals in six games. Our attack has been much better than I expected at the beginning of the season.”
First-year coach Harkanson credits Houghton, along with co-captains Arianna Dempsey and Hanna Schmukler, as a big reason for turning around a Solebury program that went 1-5 last season. “Our captains have focused the team in a way that we didn’t last year. They have a positive attitude every day,” Harkanson credited. “They started captain’s practices in the summer, which is something Solebury does not routinely do.
“They want to win. They want to have fun while they’re doing it but they want to win ultimately,” Harkanson continued. “Getting that first taste of winning after last year really felt good and they understood what it was like.”
The Spartans’ yardstick game came on Oct. 6 when they triumphed 6-4 over archrival Villa Victoria. Solebury fell to the Yellow Jackets 6-3 and 6-2 last season. “I have it circled,” Harkanson shared prior to the match. “We had a much weaker squad last year with only 12 girls on the team. They were our closest losses of the year.”
Harkanson, an assistant last season, emphasizes communication and involvement. “I probably say ‘talk’ 20 times a game since I think constant communication with your teammates is vital in soccer,” he explained. “Everyone needs to be able to be on the same page in order to distribute the ball up the field and work around those soft spots up the field where you can really attack.
“As far as team philosophy, I want everybody to get their chance to play. Through your play, your attitude and practice, you’ll get that chance if you do the right things,” he concluded.
One of his players, Fatima Daryabi, embodies doing the right things. An Afghani native, Daryabi was able to escape to America through a women’s program in Afghanistan and has found a home in Solebury. Although she had played some soccer in Afghanistan, this is her first experience in organized games. “She has become one of my favorite people to see on campus: the way she is so well-adjusted to the community,” Harkanson praised. “She hustles and is just happy to be there every day, which is the same attitude I see in the classroom. We got her out there and she does everything I ask.”
Daryabi’s effort and attitude embody a team making waves in the PJAA this fall.
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