The Walsh Jesuit Warriors have become one of the top dynasties in Ohio soccer history - perhaps the best. This season presents another challenge of replacing stellar college-bound players, yet that has rarely slowed Walsh Jesuit in the past.
Photo by Scott Seighman
only knows Dino McIntyre and winning when it comes to girls soccer.
The man who has been at the Ohio powerhouse since it began enrolling girls has led the program to a place that just about every other program in the nation wishes it could be.
Emily Rogers
Photo by Scott Seighman
It's hardly a given that the Warriors can replicate their 21-0-2 record and Ohio Division II title from last season, considering that the team will lean on underclassmen in some key spots. But when a squad has earned the most state titles in state history (six) and three national crowns in just 20 years, you'd better not count it out.
Those amazing title numbers make Walsh Jesuit an easy choice as a national title Early Contender, presented by Dick's Sporting Goods and adidas.
See all the 2013 Fall Soccer Early Contenders "We have questions all over the field since we have lost 10 Division I
college starters in the last two years. Our No. 1 question is how well
the freshmen and sophomores will react to playing against older and
faster players," McIntyre said. "We will be full of sophomore and freshman starters."
Youth doesn't always mean inexperience, and it doesn't have to mean "growing pains" or other terms for a team learning how to win. It does, however, challenge a coach to find ways to get the younger and older players to meld. McIntyre said he has put emphasis on chemistry and teambuilding as the Warriors prepare for their title defense.
"With girls soccer or any other girls sports, good team
chemistry is a No. 1 prerequisite for success. So at the moment we are doing
lots of exercises to humble everyone on the team. Humility, respect
and a genuine work ethic are what you need in a group," McIntyre said.
Six starters have moved on from Walsh Jesuit after posting the state's biggest blowout in a title match, including two-time Gatorade State Player of the Year Sandra Yu. What will tell the story of how the team recovers from it is the progression of those sophomores and freshmen.
See our special Walsh Jesuit photo galleryLocal look: "The Warriors put together a dominating performance for which
the defending state champion Stallions had no answer."
- Michael Beaven, Akron Beacon Journal (@MBeavenABJ), describing last year's state title win
