The Green Valley High girls soccer team won 17 games last season, but Ali Schaefer remains focused on a loss.
Schaefer, a junior forward, cannot forget the Gators' 3-0 setback to Palo Verde in the Class 4A Southern Nevada Championship game last year, and she's using that bitter memory to spark a redeeming 2006-07 campaign.
Although Green Valley went 17-2-2 last year, Schaefer said she won't be happy until she and her teammates capture a championship. Considering the team lost only one senior to graduation in the spring, she believes this could be the Gators' season.
"If we peak at the end of the season, I think we'll take state," said Schaefer, a three-year starter for Green Valley. "Right now, we're still getting to know each other on the field. Every game we're getting better and better."
It helps that Schaefer and her teammates have thoroughly explored the causes of last year's tournament setback.
"I think last year we were a little too relaxed going into that game," said Schaefer, who is a co-captain and one of eight returning starters. "I don't think we were ready. But this year, we're a lot more focused. When you lose a game, you try to figure out the reasons why and improve."
Schaefer intends to do her part. As a midfielder/forward last year, she logged 31 goals and 35 assists, helping her team to outscore the opposition, 104-19. That followed a freshman season in which she recorded 10 goals and eight assists.
"Ali has proven time and again that she can score," Gators coach Bill Naftaly said. "She can make plays for other people as well, so she's double dangerous."
Schaefer is known for her ability to make quick decisions with confidence.
"I think I have good vision on the field," she said. "I see the field fairly well and I like the ball at my feet. I feel very comfortable with the ball."
Though Schaefer is only 5-feet, 5-inches tall, she has had no trouble playing with the top players in the state.
"She's not a huge girl," Naftaly said. "But she's got the ability. She's extremely competitive and she wants to win."
Indeed, Schaefer wants to win a championship.
"We're training hard and taking this one step at a time," said Schaefer, who also has excelled in club soccer. "My hope is to go undefeated."
Though Schaefer again leads her team in scoring, she thinks the Gators will reach their goals because of their versatility.
"We have so many different scorers," said Schaefer, who refuses to accept all the credit for her team's success. "And the reason I get so many goals is because of the beautiful balls I get from other players."
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