Armed with a new coach, Whitehall soccer enters the season with high hopes of being competitive in the West Michigan Conference.
Laicey Chamberlain is the new Vikings' coach. She has a wealth of coaching experience at various youth levels, including travel ball, though this is her first high school head coaching assignment.
"I've been playing since as far back as I can remember," Chamberlain said. "I guess when you grow up playing and doing it, you want to keep playing and doing it."
Whitehall graduated a few key contributors from last season's team that finished in the middle of the West Michigan Conference standings, including all-conference performer Kendall Osborne. However, many important players are back, led by all-state honorable mention pick Kate Beda and fellow all-WMC selection Aaliyah Jamison, who should both be leading scorers on the team.
"Obviously Kate Beda is up there (at forward) and she's fantastic," Chamberlain said. "Aaliyah Jamison is super fast and has a really strong foot. When she gets locked in, I wouldn't want to stand between her and the goal."
Other key returners include Bayleigh Bays, Audrey Conners, Elizabeth Fox, Reese Hesse and Morgan Garcia, who all had big moments a year ago. Adding some intrigue is the addition of a pair of promising freshmen - Izzy Causie and Kaylyn Blasky.
"Izzy Causie's touch is fantastic," Chamberlain said. "Kaylyn Blasky is going to be our keeper and has really impressed me over the last couple of years. (It's exciting to have) these freshmen, knowing we'll have them four years, watching them grow and develop."
Chamberlain said she's pleased with how her team has responded as she has pushed them hard the first week-plus of practice.
"They're responding positively to that push," Chamberlain said. That's a good sign as far as I'm concerned. It's a great atmosphere to be around right now."
The new coach espouses a defense-first philosophy, joking that "defense wins games and forwards get all the glory." She's confident the Viking defensive unit will play well this year.
Spotlight games for the team will obviously include the rivalry game with Montague - the Wildcats won a one-goal thriller last season - and nearby rival North Muskegon. Whitehall will test itself with non-league games against Coopersville, Reeths-Puffer, Fruitport and more. The aggressive scheduling underscores the Vikings' confidence in their team.
"You can only get so much from watching tape, but I think we'll be competitive within the conference," Chamberlain said. "Watching these players and how they're performing, I think we'll do as well or better than we did last year."
