It’s only January, but for high school soccer teams in Texas, that means the start of a new season. The Red Ledger’s Darby Blaylock caught up with one of the girls on this year’s varsity squad in the following Q&A.

The Red Ledger: How do you think the team is doing regarding adapting to the new coach?

Willmann: “I think in the beginning everyone was having a hard time adapting to her but now that we have gotten into season and everyone is getting into the swing of things, we are all adjusting to her much better.”

The Red Ledger: How do you think this season will go?

Willmann: “I think it’s going to go well. I think once we find our chemistry, like getting used to playing with each other. As we get further into the season everything is going to be good.”

The Red Ledger: How do you think the season is going to go with the new district?

Willmann: “It’s going to be challenging. Compared to the teams we played last year, these teams are way harder. This is going to be a big struggle we must overcome.”

The Red Ledger: Does all this cold weather have an affect on how you play and prepare for games?

Willmann: “I think the cold weather definitely has an effect, because I mean it’s kind of miserable playing when you’re freezing cold and can’t play to your full potential. You can’t feel your feet or your hands or your body. But we are just going to have to deal with it.”

The Red Ledger: How is it being a captain as a junior?

Willmann: “It’s really not that different than being a captain as a senior. As a junior I’m really open to what other seniors have to say just because we only have one senior captain. I just want to make sure everyone has a say on what happens with the team. Just because I’m the captain doesn’t mean the other seniors don’t get to have a say on what goes on with the team.

The Red Ledger: How will it be playing against Wylie East again this season, the team who knocked you out of playoffs last year?

Willmann: “We just have to go out and play. Get back at them. We need to redeem ourselves. Just give it everything we have. That’s one of our biggest rivals, it would mean a lot if we could finally beat them. We beat them once last year so we know we are capable of it. And if we could have a lot of fans that would help us a lot because normally a lot of people don’t come out to our games. But when we play big teams like Wylie East and Prosper fans are like crucial.”

The Red Ledger: With the new district, how will it be playing new teams, teams you have never seen play before?

Willmann: “It’s good that we get to play them two times in the season. Even though we have never seen them we will get to play them and see how they play so we will know what to expect the next time around. So hopefully we will be able to adjust.”