Look for the Becker Bulldog girls soccer team to be a fearsome foe for Granite Ridge Conference teams in 2016.

 

Head Coach Arnold Changamire has assembled a top-notch squad that features some serious “Pelé” types.

 

On Changamire’s varsity team are sisters, Heidi and Claire Voigt — a dandy twosome who have that innate ability to sense where the other one is on the field and find them in open spots. 

 

Both are highly capable of being the leading scorers in most games.

 

Another formidable striker is Madeline Corey, who makes opponents look silly at times as she weaves the ball under her feet so delicately she could probably not even break an egg.

 

Cory and Claire Voigt are sophomores and Heidi is a senior.

 

On defense, Changamire has Jasmine Johnson, Gabrielle Proefrock and Sidney Westin as senior defensemen and they are joined by juniors Reilly Cencer, Allison Zimmer and Kylie Schmidt as well as sophomore Joey Rothstein and freshmen Emma Domka and Abbey Rothstein.

 

At midfield and forward joining the Voigt sisters and Corey are freshman Chloe Rothstein, sophomores Tory Nelson, Lauren Sticha and Amber Vogl as well as juniors Macy Eigen, Megan Peterson and Laura Pierce.

Aiden Bauer, a junior, will be called upon to do most of the goalkeeping.

 

“We are looking to improve on our first 11-win season last year,” said Changamire. “Our team target is to win the Granite Ridge Conference. We also would like to host a section game.”

 

At practices, Changamire usually has the girls start off with dribbling the ball and then he has them do some passing drills with emphasis on retaining possession. Changamire also works the girls hard on moving the ball quickly and effectively and keeping passes short and direct.

 

The 2016 soccer season is Arnold’s 11th year at the helm and he loves teaching and loves to see the program continue to grow. The job isn’t always easy and sometime doesn’t always go as expected, but Changamire and Becker soccer are a great fit.

 

“The hardest part is trying to get the players to play the way I envision it (the game) in my head,” Arnold said. “The easiest part is the enthusiasm the girls have for the game. They are always eager to learn.”

Arnold sees a bright future for soccer in Becker as 38 girls have come out for the sport this fall, many waiting in the wings for their chance to be game changers like the Voigt girls and Corey.

 

“(My advice for the youth) is to always have the ball at your feet, dribble and juggle as much as you can,” said Changamire. “We are also lucky to live in an age where the game can be seen on TV or on the internet, so try to watch the game as much as possible.”

 

Arnold is proud of how the program has grown over the years and he says he is very lucky to have parents and players who are investing time into the game.

 

“My biggest goal would be for the numbers to keep growing,” he said. “We'd also like to win the conference, that's a goal we talked about as a team.”

 

Changamire has his wife Gretchen as an assistant coach and she also coaches the middle school team. Anne Ashander is the JV coach and this is her first year in that job.

 

The student manager is Megan Dudek.

 

Look for St. Cloud Cathedral to be Becker’s biggest challenge on the schedule as they always seem to field a good squad.

 

Changamire’s girls soccer team consists of junior goalie Aiden Bauer, junior defenseman Reilly Cencer, senior defenseman Jasmine Johnson, senior midfielder Gabrielle Proefrock, junior defenseman Allison Zimmer, freshman midfielder Chloe Rothstein, senior defenseman Sidney Westin, sophomore forward Tory Nelson, sophomore defenseman Claire Voigt, sophomore midfielder Lauren Sticha, junior midfielder Macy Eigen, senior forward Heidi Voigt, freshman defenseman Emma Domka, sophomore midfielder Amber Vogl, junior midfielder Megan Peterson, freshman defenseman Abbey Rothstein, sophomore forward Madeline Corey, sophomore defenseman Joey Rothstein, junior defenseman Kylie Schmidt and junior midfielder Laura Pearce.