New coach, new system don’t deter LC soccer standout

Katie Carpenter, like most new coaches, had her share of anxieties when she took over the Lewis and Clark girls soccer program this fall.

How will the returning players react? Will they embrace change? Will they buy into what I’m selling?

Of course, such concerns can be eased in a hurry if your best player jumps on board, which is exactly what senior forward Julia Moravec did.

“She’s a great leader – one who leads by example,” Carpenter said of Moravec, who led the Greater Spokane League in scoring and was named the league’s offensive MVP as a junior. “And her buying into the new system I wanted to install has helped our team tremendously.”

Moravec admits that the controversial coaching change that saw last year’s GSL coach of the year Casey Curtis being replaced by Carpenter, was emotional for her and her teammates.

“It was really tough, because it’s hard to know what to expect with a new coach and new season,” Moravec said. “But I think we’ve all accepted it now, and things are going really well.”

LC, which won last year’s GSL regular-season title with 26 points (8-1-0-0), is off to a 6-0 start under Carpenter this season, after Wednesday’s 6-2 nonleague road win over Coeur d’Alene.

Moravec, with 11 goals and two assists, has picked up where she left off last fall, when she scored 20 goals as the Tigers advanced to the quarterfinals of the State 4A playoffs before losing to Kentwood. And she’s doing within a new system installed by Carpenter.

“My goal coming in was to make us a more adaptable and flexible team, based on the different styles of the teams we play,” said Carpenter, who has the Tigers displaying more 3-5-2 and 4-4-2 looks than they did under Curtis. “Here at LC, they were playing a 4-3-3 every single game, and, sometimes, when a new coach comes in and says, ‘We’re gong to change and play all these different systems,’ it creates some problems.

“But Julia and adapted well, and so has the rest of the team.”

Despite the changes that have been implemented, Moravec insists her role is pretty much the same as it has been the last two seasons – distribute the ball and score goals.

“We’re using a few more formations, and we’re playing more two up top, instead of three,” she said. “But I’m pretty much doing the same things I’ve always done. I used to be passing a lot from the outside, and I’m more in the middle now.

“But I’ve played it before, so it’s no big deal.”

Carpenter is not surprised by Moravec’s ability to adapt – especially since she mistakenly started her as a defender during a scrimmage at LC’s summer camp.

“I really didn’t know much about Julia back then,” Carpenter said. “But she had told me she wanted to play defense in one of those scrimmages, so I started her at outside back.

“One of the girls came up to me immediately and asked, ‘Did you know Julia was the leading scorer in the GSL last year?’ And I said, ‘What? Seriously, is this a joke? Are you punking me?’ But you know what, the whole time she was playing back there, she was calm and she was confident, which makes me think I could put her at any position and she would play it well, even if she didn’t know it.”

“She’s just a great all-around soccer player.”

According to Carpenter, Moravec’s biggest assets are her awareness with the ball and here ability to see the field.

“She wasn’t bad as a defender,” Carpenter said, “but she’s absolutely phenomenal up front.

“I think I’ll keep here there.”