By Justin Sokeland
WBIW.com
BEDFORD – One is the loneliest number, especially when it refers to season wins for a struggling team. After two years of absorbing depressing setbacks, Bedford North Lawrence finally ended a long losing streak late last season. Now it’s time to aim higher.
Second-year coach Bret Roberts is not making brash predictions, but she sees improvement in skills and confidence as the Stars – with numbers and talent to prop up the higher expectations – prepare for better results in 2023. Roberts will only say one thing: “We’ll win more than one game.”
With 23 athletes on the roster (a pleasant surprise and remarkable jump from two years ago when the program was teetering on disbandment while lacking enough players to field a full team), with an injection of newcomers, BNL is poised for a rebound to past success. Perhaps the future should be tempered, after all baby steps come before running, but don’t be surprised when the ball starts bouncing in BNL’s favor.
“I have higher expectations than just winning one,” Roberts said. “There were a couple of games last year that we were borderline, that we could have won. So we hope to get a different result. I hope it’s a huge jump. I’m very excited for the season.
“I have pretty high expectations. I’m very impressed with some of the new players, some of the returning players who have improved, and how they’ve meshed together. I feel pretty confident in the starting 11, which we haven’t had in the past.”
Any level of upgrade must start with veterans. BNL has five returning starters, anchored by back-line defenders Cora Thomas (who was Honorable Mention All-Hoosier Hills Conference last year) and Sydney Hallatt. They will form the wall in front of goalie Maya Fahr. Jayella Filler is back to attack on a wing, and Rose Dusard will be in the midfield.
The reason for the excitement level is newcomers. Britta Warren, a first-time competitor, will make an immediate impact (with Roberts already regretting she only gets the senior for one season) somewhere with her athletic ability. Freshmen center midfielder Madalyn Mason will boost the offensive attack.
“That’s a very important part of the field, and Madalyn has the knowledge of the game to be a ball winner and distributor, get it forward and hopefully have more luck on offensive plays,” Roberts said. “We’ve been very defensively minded in the past because we had to be. This year we can see more offense going on.”
Last season’s win came against Austin, which ended a 24-game losing skid and a 27-game winless streak (thanks to a tie in that mix). BNL already has a jump on topping that with its sheer numbers, and Roberts hopes the new middle school program (a needed boost to the feeder system) will make a difference.
“I’m excited for the numbers. Hopefully we’ll be OK for several years to come,” Roberts said. “Being able to scrimmage at practice will make a huge difference. Last year, our first game was the first time we went out there and played. We didn’t have enough to practice. We’ve already scrimmaged several times and I’ve been impressed.”
The Stars will open the regular season at Silver Creek on Saturday.
