You can see the excitement, clear as a wide-open soccer field, on Kayleigh Brooks’ face as she says, “It’s good to be back.”
Brooks (top photo), who wears the different-colored jersey and the number 0 as the goalkeeper for the Conestoga Valley girls soccer team, was out 648 days, or nearly two years, after tearing her ACL and meniscus in a knee.
Her return is good news for the Buckskins and Coach Mara Sunderland (bottom right), who is seeing positive signs for CV’s program as she starts her second year.
Last year, despite a 3-13 record, the CV girls allowed fewer goals, and the team doubled its number of goals scored, “so there are signs of progress,” Sunderland says.
Sienna DiGiamberdini (below left), a senior center-back, sees good signs, too. “Last year wasn’t our best, but I feel like when you come in as an underdog, it helps” you to work harder and have extra incentive, she says.
Also excited for the year is Kaylana Davis (center), a senior defender. The team is working hard to get better, she says.
Sunderland, who teaches first grade at Smoketown Elementary School, brings plenty of experience to the CV post, having coached players “2 and up” in soccer and guiding the U19 Lancaster Elite squad.
She played all four years in high school in Lewistown and all four years at Lebanon Valley College, helping to guide a formidable defensive unit.
The CV girls team has had a strong history, winning the L-L League title in 2015 and finishing as state runners-up two years before that.
LNP | LancasterOnline hosted Media Day at its downtown Lancaster office to connect local media with Lancaster-Lebanon League players and coaches.
