After a pair of strong seasons that saw them fall just short of the State Tournament, the Pella High girls soccer team will be gunning to make this season the one that ends with a return to Muscatine for the Lady Dutch. To do that, though, head coach Sam Mate-Kodjo says the team will see the most change and concentration in one particular area.

“As far as restructuring goes, I think it’s going to be on our defensive line. We’ve got a really powerful midfield and offensive line, but we’ll have to make adjustments on defense,” said Mate-Kodjo.

“You can’t win games without a good defense; so we’re going to be working a little bit with our defenders to try and get them to be on the same page – to play as a cohesive, coherent unit – to give the midfielders and forwards a chance.”

The Pella High girls soccer team starts the 2012 schedule with a challenging non-conference contest at home, when they host Dowling Catholic on April 3rd.