After winning the 2015-16 state championship, Fountain Hills High School girls soccer coach Alison Mabery said that the team will have a target on its back in the coming months. Training with that fact in mind, the team is shooting for a repeat of last year’s performance.

The girls soccer season will get rolling next Saturday, Dec. 3, with a 9:30 a.m. match hosted out of Williams Field. As is often the case, the team is beginning the season with tournament play, which continues on Tuesday, Dec. 6, starting at 2 p.m. at Desert Ridge. The next couple of regular games will actually be on the road, with the Falcons not playing in front of the home crowd until Dec. 12, when they welcome the squad from Miami at 4 p.m.

Coach Mabery said that las season was amazing, with the Falcons going undefeated in section play before hitting the state tournament in the underdog position and going on to best Palo Verde to earn the Division III crown.

“Over the past year, we have graduated many faces that have been in the program since I started,” Mabery said. “This year, our seniors will have been working with me since they were in the sixth grade. We have a really special group of girls who want to make a name for themselves as season.

“We also have a lot of new faces and talent that will be exciting to watch grow as players over the year.”

In total, the Falcons will field 11 returners from last year’s championship season, making for a fantastic core group. They’ll be joined by 15 newcomers to the varsity roster. All told, the Falcons are looking at eight seniors, four juniors, nine sophomores and five freshmen on this year’s team, one of the biggest in school history.

Despite the high numbers, Mabery said that her ladies are coming together nicely here in the early season.

“The chemistry so far on the team has really surprised me,” she said. “Everyone seems to be excited to be out there, get better and help each other out in order to be the best team possible. It’s pretty amazing when you have 26 teenage girls all together.”

On the field, Mabery said that the Falcons will continue to make defense a driving factor for the program. However, with so many new faces on the roster, she said she’s putting extra emphasis on the basics this season, making sure her athletes can keep their goal clear.

Looking ahead, Mabery said the team’s goals are, as always, to make it to the post season and be as productive as possible.

“We also want to get everyone as much playing experience as possible in as many different positions as possible so that, when it does come to the postseason, the coaches will know exactly which 11 girls in which positions will give us the best team possible,” Mabery added.

And speaking of the coaches, Mabery said she is very excited to add Courtney Preston to the team’s leadership, who works as an athletic trainer and will help the Falcons focus on strength, conditioning and injury prevention. Jeannie Nelson is also helping out as an assistant coach, giving special attention and support to the Falcons’ goalkeepers.

Looking ahead, Mabery said she’s expecting a good season for fans of soccer to follow.

“We have some usual rivals built up over the years; Northwest Christian, Scottsdale Christian and Scottsdale Prep,” she said. “These games will be very intense as all teams have been fighting for a chance at the state title for the last three seasons and we have won two out of three of those titles.

“I expect them to have a fire lit under them as we battle it out this year. Fans can expect an aggressive style of play with lots of speed and skill up front, finishing the ball led by senior captain Erika Yost.”