Monday, November 24, 2014
Friday, November 21, 2014
Girls Soccer Values Karpiej's Variety of Abilities
*This article was intended to appear in the Southwinds school newspaper in October. My apologies, they're rather out of date now, but it's posted here.
Blink and you might miss her move.
The opponent carries the ball into the Bobcat’s side of the field. The ball meets the area where she patrols, and attacking center midfielder Dani Karpiej strikes. She intercepts the pass so easily that it seems as though it was intended for her, sliding through the pursuing opposition effortlessly like water running through a creek. Her shooting and passing skills leaves spectators amazed.
Varsity girls soccer has been blessed with impactful captains throughout the years; players who dominate on the field and exert their influence from the sidelines. Along with their reign of dominance, these players pass on their knowledge, merging their understanding with their teammates’ established skills. This year’s edition of such a player is seen in Karpiej.
Her performance has been established through nourishment and perseverance. The path to success was long, but as she turns into the homestretch of her high school career, she values the things that helped her arrive at her current position. “I’ve learned to become a responsible student athlete and I’m the happiest when I’m on the field,” she said. “My parents have always been my biggest supporters. My dad has always pushed me to be my best. He’s always pushing me to run the extra sprint, extra mile.”
Girls soccer added Karpiej as an offensive player from the middle school. She immediately jumped onto the varsity team and scored goals. She would also be able to occasionally dish off some assists. That was then-it is now a frequent occurrence in each game she plays. This year, she has proved her balanced approach, tallying six goals and three assists.
Ed Duclos has been Karpiej’s coach during her entire time at the high school and has seen her grow to her full potential as a player who can excel in every dimension of the game and cannot be fully contained by the opposition. “[She] has incredible technique. Her skill on the ball is phenomenal,” Duclos said. “She can distribute the ball quickly to the correct person, and she has incredible vision and creativity as well. Also, she has become a much better defender over the years,” he said.
Duclos admires that Karpiej is able to effectively execute her responsibilities. As a cocaptain alongside Colleen Bouquot, Karpiej’s on-field task is to direct the team from the middle third of the field into the finishing third.
Duclos said that Karpiej has been able to not only consistently carry out this rather difficult task, but also do it at a high level, and her skills can stretch beyond high school soccer.
Karpiej’s success has come from years of work and diligence. “I’ve worked hard outside of practice,” she said. “I go on runs alone, I work out alone, always getting touches on the ball when I can. I think extra time by yourself and independent [work] can make you better,” she said.
Along her personal journey through the sport she has positively affected her teammates throughout the years. By doing this, she has scattered the seeds of the future for girls soccer.
Teammates have appreciated her spirit and desire to spread her knowledge and presence.
Senior Amy McConnell, who has played soccer with Karpiej since their youth, says she is a valuable asset to the team. “Dani is very soccer smart. She knows the game very well, so she knows what she’s talking about. Whenever she has advice everyone listens because she’s very experienced,” McConnell said.
Sophomore Sam Faust also made the varsity team in his freshman year and recognizes the leadership skills Karpiej exhibits. “On the field and off the field she’ll talk to you and tell you what you need to do,” she said. “When I’m a junior and senior I want to be a leader like she is,” Faust said.
Karpiej will continue to play soccer and take the competition to the next level at Division I school, Sacred Heart University.
Josh Inkel: Leadership Voice on the Soccer Field
*This article was intended to appear in the Southwinds school newspaper in October. My apologies, they're rather out of date now, but it's posted here.
A thunderous voice rips through the air, drowning the noise from the student section. It scatters across the field with a kick of urgency.
The sun creeps westward and the autumn wind grows icy, but the constant heat of competition lives on in the passionate voice of varsity goalie Josh Inkel.
Inkel has embraced the position of goalie and works to make a contribution in every game.
Senior Will Weil explained that Inkel’s vocal presence is there in each game; prodding his team along through the crisp fall air and bruising physical play, sparking focus with his sharp commands. “As a goalie, he has to direct everyone on the field,” Weil said. “Even when he’s on the other side of the field he’s still yelling, telling us what to do.”
Varsity boys soccer features nine underclassmen set to succeed the 13 seniors and raise the next beast in boys soccer. Inkel’s teammates and coach expect that he will lead the next generation of soccer towards their ambitious goals with his leadership and desire.
Inkel leads the team with fearlessness and understanding; without hesitation or nonsense. Weil says that Inkel exemplifies a model leader, lifting his teammates from the pit of self-doubt, and snapping them out of the lull of satisfaction. “He is the perfect teammate,” Weil said. “He’ll always pick you up when you’re down, and he’ll always tell you to hustle when you’re slacking off.”
Inkel puts the cap on the opposition’s goal, blocking their key to victory and giving his teammates chances to subdue them in the field. With Inkel between the posts, the Bobcats were able to shut out their opposition five times during the regular season. Varsity coach David St. Jean believes that Inkel is a big part of their winning identity. “He is a leader. We believe our team is founded on defending and it all begins with Josh,” St. Jean said. “He’s our foundation in many ways.”
Inkel’s skill as a goalie spoke for itself from the get go, as he secured a spot on the varsity squad as a freshman. Along with his experiences on varsity and his bond with his teammates, Inkel has also been familiar with being unable to play for a full season, a mental test that an athlete would much rather avoid. At Eastern Connecticut Soccer Camp, during the preseason of his sophomore year, while engaging in a routine drill Inkel was pursuing a ball. On an awkward halt Inkel’s leg snapped, sparking an explosion of pain. A broken leg shelved him for the entire season; a season where he was primed to be the starting goalie.
On the sideline, Inkel’s patience has been tested. “My teammates and friends really supported me; [but] the feeling of not playing varsity hurt me,” he said. “I wanted to push [myself] and get back on the field as soon as I could.”
Inkel has returned as the everyday barrier standing before the goal, and according to St. Jean, he has not been shaken by the trying experience. “I think he is still recovering from his leg injury a bit; regaining his explosiveness and quick first step,” he said. “Physiologically, technically and tactically, he’s all back.”
The inability to play did not deter Inkel’s commitment and loyalty to his team. Weil added that he was physically present and a part of their spirit and positive atmosphere. “He came to every practice and every game and that really shows who he is as a teammate,” he said.
With Inkel as one of the leaders, boys’ soccer may very well be in good hands. His willingness to take charge has been visible from the start. He has come through in every test: achieving varsity status freshman year, establishing himself as a leader, enduring a season without soccer, and coming back strong.
Inkel has considered playing soccer in college, and has spoken to Springfield College. St. Jean says that college soccer is a realistic goal for Inkel.
He will bring his passion along with the booming voice that will never be silenced. “He can play at the next level and I think he aspires to do so,” said St. Jean. ”He wants it and he’ll get there.”
Friday, November 7, 2014
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