Paige Cook is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Campo Verde High School for AZPreps365.com

Paige Cook is a student at ASU's Cronkite School of Journalism assigned to cover Capo Verde by AZPreps365.com

For Campo Verde girls’ soccer team, it’s not about “me”, it’s about “us.''

 

“This is a team effort. Everyone steps up to their role. We all support each other,” said coach Drew Guarneri.

 

The Coyotes are currently second in their division with a 6-1 record. This is Guarneri’s fifth season coaching the girls. When asked what makes this team special, he said how a “more rounded” team leads to success. “We are not relying on individuals like in past seasons.”

 

Senior captain Paige Morris said that the team bond this season is another factor built into their success. “We want to build strong relationships on and off the field.”

 

This is Morris’s third year on the varsity team. “It is my goal to boost team morale and to motivate others.” Her leadership style? “Vocal, engaged and focused.”

 

Junior forward Alexis Kreipke ranks second in the state division 5A in points (26) and goals (10).

 

“Personally, this is really big for me. I feel like I play a really big role,” she said. “Last season I did not feel like a strong suit, and I worked hard to get where I am.”

 

On Feb. 2, the Coyotes defeated the top team in the division, Shadow Ridge. Kreipke kept the team’s morale up by, “trying to stay positive and motivated, and [I] pushed my teammates to do the same.” Campo Verde came back from a 0-1 deficit to win 3-1.

 

The 2021 season is especially unique due to the ongoing pandemic. “[The pandemic] has made things difficult but has had no impact on the way we play or the way we do things in particular,” Guarneri stated.

 

He said the only negative for training is no big groups for long periods of time. “We focus on more specialized plays with small groups.”

 

Morris said COVID “has made the season more stressful, because we do not know if it will be canceled, who’s been exposed or in quarantine. A lot is unanswered.”

 

Although the season was pushed back, the team expects to play the remainder of its games.

 

Masks are an inconvenience. “I don’t mind them as much as originally I thought, because it is not too hard to breathe like most people thought,” Morris said.

 

The goal for this season: to win the state championship. “I hope to keep getting better,” Guarneri stated. “We should be peaking at the end of the year when it’s time to move into the playoffs.”

 

If the team advances to the championship, this would be Kreipke’s and Morris’s second appearance. The last state championship the Coyotes won was two years ago.

 

“I am proud of myself and this team,” Kreipke said. “I think we have a chance this season to make it.”

 

The Coyotes play seven more games. Their next game is scheduled for Feb. 12 against Lake Havasu.