Despite inexperience, Marysville girls soccer is 'eager to learn'

MARYSVILLE — There's no shortage of players on the Marysville girls soccer team. But there isn't much experience.

Of the 20 names on the Vikings' roster, nine are freshmen. That's followed by five juniors, four seniors and three sophomores. Last season saw the departure of eight seniors, seven of which were starters.

"They are young and inexperienced," said Marysville coach Scott Parker, whose team is 1-2-3 overall. "But they're eager. They want to learn and they're not out here just to be out here. They're trying to put the work in the best they can … so that's encouraging for the program."

It's also reassuring that the newcomers will learn from a group of skilled veterans.

"The back line is pretty experienced," Parker said. "That's where the majority of our most talented players are at right now. We need that composure and those (proven) voices back there."

Two of those voices are senior captain Baylee Hill and junior goalie Lauren Pyryt.

"The younger players have been very persistent with their work," Hill said. "Some of them are showing lots of progression. Not only that, they're eager to learn. So they put themselves out there a lot."

"They're all here and they're ready to work," Pyryt said. "It's going to take them awhile to adjust to (this level). But everybody is putting in the work to make that adjustment."

Hill and Pyryt are starters for the third straight season. Both will be play key roles in the development of the underclassmen.

"With (Hill's) experience, she's leading the girls and really starting to take charge," Parker said. "You can hear her voice out there (on the field) communicating."

"My (personal) goal is to get better and produce," Pyryt said. "But I don't want to just be better for myself, I want to be better for the team. I want to work on communicating more, take action and be encouraging (for my teammates)."

Their leadership is vital for a team that competes in the MAC Blue, which includes seasoned opponents like St. Clair Shores Lakeview (5-1-0), longtime rival St. Clair (4-1-0) and Madison Heights Lamphere (4-2-0).

Because losses can be discouraging for a young group, Marysville's core is focused on keeping everyone motivated.

"(Success) is about your attitude and mindset," Hill said. "Especially for me, because it's really easy for me to get down on myself. And that doesn't help you progress as a player. So I always try to keep my head up and stay persistent with my attitude."

Added Hill: "Since it is my senior year, I just want to help bring the team together. So that when I leave, a lot of good stuff has been left behind and it'll help (us) improve for next year."

The Vikings know they're not ready to contend for a league championship just yet. That'll come in due time. For now, their objective is to build for the future.

"One team goal I have is for us improve day after day," Parker said. "(Be it) practice or a game, just get better. We're in a tough, tough division in the MAC Blue. We don't have a lot of the skill players that these other schools have. But our girls continuously work and the effort (is always there). That's what we preach."

Contact Brenden Welper at bwelper@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @BrendenWelper.