Winning three of the past four state championships, the high school girls soccer team has established something of a reputation for itself.

It’s a reputation new head coach Gary Shindler is well aware of. And while he expects the upcoming season will feature some rebuilding, he said he still has high expectations for his flock of Falcons.

With several seniors graduating following last season, the Falcons will be led in part by the team’s two seniors, Alaina Olmstead and Selina Reisig. They’ll be supported by a large group of juniors and a healthy injection of underclassmen for the roster.

Formerly a university professor, Shindler is a Valley educator who said he has been involved with sports throughout his life.

“I’ve coached soccer for the last 20 years,” Shindler said. “I’ve coached tennis for 10 years, too, so I’m an old gym rat.”

Shindler said he discovered the opening for a Fountain Hills soccer coach by accident, but it seemed like it was right up his alley.

“I called, and the rest is Fountain Hills history,” Shindler said. “Coach [Alison] Mabery was here for five years and she did a great job. She’s worked with these girls since the time they were seventh or eighth grade and graduated eight seniors last year. So I knew we’d have a rebuilding process, but we also have a lot of talent.”

On top of the returning veterans, Shindler said the Falcons have five “excellent freshmen” joining the program this season.

“It will be a good, solid year,” Shindler said. “My alignment is more defense oriented. We have three or four very strong offensive people, but we’re starting off cautious and will be defending a little more.”

Spending a few weeks in practice with the local ladies, Shindler said that one of the team’s biggest strengths is a great attitude.

“Their mentality is that they want to win,” Shindler said. “They’re very, very kind to one another and they’ve been very receptive to the freshmen. For the next few years, we should have a very good program.”

Shindler said the Lady Falcons have been very receptive to his coaching style.

“I think my age is kind of positive,” Shindler said. “They look at me and they know I’ve been around a while. And we’ve already had some great bonding experiences, going to lunch and dinner. We’re doing great and we’re going to continue that process.”

Looking ahead, Shindler said the schedule includes several very prominent teams.

“It takes time, but we don’t have a game until Dec. 6, which is good,” Shindler added. “We’ve got some club players who are just now coming onto the program, sot that will take some time to get moving.

“But another positive is that we have seven JV games this season and my whole team can play JV. That’s seven more games that don’t count against our record that can be used as practice.”

Shindler said that, as a coach, he’s forgiving while also expecting excellence.

“You’re a teacher first, a mentor second, and thirdly you’re a coach,” Shindler said. “I coached my own daughter, so I understand that process.”

The first game of the regular season will be Wednesday, Dec. 6, when the Lady Falcons host North Pointe Prep at 4 p.m. Just like with basketball this season, the boys and girls have been paired up for most of their matches, so fans should expect plenty of opportunities to enjoy back-to-back showdowns.

Shindler said he’s looking forward to the season, as well as helping get this young roster rolling on the pitch.

“It’ll be an exciting year,” he added. “There’s nothing better than the exuberance of young players.”