For a minute, anyway.
“At first, you curl up in a ball in a corner and deal with your feelings. Those are two big-time kids for us,” he said of the duo, who both had complications from ACL surgery last year.
“Then, you realize we’ve recruited well enough — not to replace them, because we can’t, but to win in a different way.”
The Raiders started 1-5 but have posted back-to-back shutout wins and will take that momentum into their league opener Thursday at Purdue Fort Wayne.
Kiera Sarka, a fifth-year player, has started most of the season at goal-keeper. But when she had to miss time with an injury, freshman Leigha Lauer stepped in.
In her three starts, the Raiders gave up just two goals.
“Kiera has been here a long time, and she’s been a starter for us for a while. But it’s nice to know we’re comfortable and confident that if Leigha plays, she’s going to get the job done for us,” Sobers said.
Credit: Sydney Kline
Credit: Sydney Kline
Defense is usually a strength for the Raiders — they posted three straight shutouts last season — and they have experience at the back end again.
One of the anchors is Kaylee Pham, a senior from Springboro. She’s a two-year starter and former HL all-freshman team pick.
“We have kids who have played a lot of minutes. Bringing Kaylee back — she was hurt at the start of the season, and now she’s growing into form — gives us a strong core back there,” Sobers said.
Some of the early-season woes stemmed from the fifth-year coach doing a little tinkering. He flipped between 3-5-2 and 4-3-3 formations, wanting to be proficient at both.
Though the results weren’t great, he said: “I believe, coming into the conference, we’ll be able to switch back and forth depending on what the game asks for.”
The Raiders went 5-10-2 last year and missed the six-team HL tourney for the first time since 2021.
They were picked to finish in a tie for fifth in the preseason poll. The favorite — no surprise — is Milwaukee.
The Panthers have won nine of the last 10 regular-season titles and the last seven tourney crowns. They have an 89-3-10 league record since 2015.
“Until someone beats them, they’re the queens of the conference. They’ve won so many times. Everyone is looking up to them,” Sobers said.
“But from 2 to 9, it can be anyone. It’s who shows up, who performs well and who gets the results.”
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