FARMINGTON, Minn. -- Young, but experienced, the Farmington girls soccer team hits the pitch for a series of non-conference games to open the season. 

Ten of their 17 games last season were decided by one goal or less. A veteran defensive group will support a new varsity goalkeeper while the offense seeks ways to add to their goal total, which produced about one goal per game in 2024.

Coach Aaron Johnson says, "We're a pretty young team but we have a lot of girls that played varsity the last couple of years. We have a lot of juniors that have played a lot, that were starters as ninth or tenth graders. We have a few seniors that have been around for the last couple years on varsity.

"I think our strength is in our defense and our back line. We've got a lot of really good defenders, probably more defenders than we need. So, some of them will probably play different positions. We've got a lot of experience in front of our goalkeeper.

"Me, being a goalkeeper, I probably play more defensive than I should sometimes. Probably why we struggle to score goals every now and then. But we probably play a little more defensive in our formations."

Senior center back Riely Lindgren says the team has a good base to build on, "It's mostly people from last year too. So, carrying into this season we should already be meshed together, and we don't have to work on team bonding as much."

Having varsity experience shows, "I think attitude is the big difference. On JV you can have a little more fun but on varsity we're here to win. And have fun winning. Even if you are just sitting on the bench, you can see the shift in attitude."

Lindgren notes the importance of communicating with their new goalkeeper, "Talking to her is a big part. Making sure she's confident. Making sure she's talking to us. So, she can feel ready to make those saves. And if she makes a mistake, it's ok. We just got to pump her up."

Sophomore Lola Kanikula will likely step into that role between the pipes. Johnson states, "Been in the program as a seventh grader. She practiced with the varsity. Got a little bit of varsity time last year. She's probably the leading candidate for being our starting goalkeeper but we've got some other young ones who are playing well too."

He said there are five keepers in the program.

Senior Makenzie Colsant expects to play midfield, attack or defense, "Going off last year, we were very strong in the midfield, and I feel that defensive wise, we were very structured. I think our missing piece was more in our forwards connecting with the net, keeping the ball up there."

She feels the offense can take a step forward this fall, "The people we have that are probably going to be up there have more control on the ball and can be confident going into tackles with it. They're not afraid to shoot."

Colsant says the team showed nice dedication over the summer, "For the most part we've been out here since June. Mondays and Wednesdays we usually practice in the morning. I think it's important to have everyone there. Even if it is optional, it's always nice to have extra touches on the ball."

Johnson indicates players will have to show some flexibility to find who will be the scorers, "Put some girls up top that maybe haven't played a whole lot (of offense). But they're good. I like to see who's our best 11 players and put them all on the field at the same time. There's going to be some really good defenders that are going to be playing up top."

Like the other players featured here, senior Katelyn Kiage saw some time her sophomore year before being a regular as a junior. She plays on the outside and can flow from defense to offense, "I like to run all the way up the line and all the way back. I just feel like either one is interchangeable for me.

"Usually, we focus more on going out wide, getting it to the line, and getting that crossing for somebody to finish on. So, I feel like that's what I like to do. I like to dribble it down and take it really far."

Kiage sees importance to being a close-knit team, "We worked well in getting really close together and build our relationships. Trusting each other is a great thing to have on a team and I think that's something we can build off of this year. We're very close, just over the summer. And I think that's going to be great for our team going forward."

FHS (3-8-6 in 2024) opens with Section 1AAA opponent Rochester Century on Thursday, August 21 at 5 pm. On Saturday, August 23 a doubleheader with the boys at Waconia starts at 10 am. On Friday, August 29 the Tigers go to Hastings for a Friday, August 29 afternoon tilt at 3 pm.

It's back on Tiger Field with section foe New Prague on Tuesday, September 2 at 7 pm. The South Suburban Conference opener is Thursday, September 4 against Shakopee at 5 pm.

Eagan won the SSC and reached the state championship game last fall. Lakeville North won the Section 1AAA title. The Tigers lost to Owatonna in the quarterfinals 2-1. Eagan, Rosemount, and Lakeville North are among the top ten in preseason rankings.