Getting their kicks

Perhaps Tommy Lancaster’s timing was just off. Lancaster, the boys soccer coach for Wisconsin Heights/Barneveld, believed the Vanguards were poised for big things last fall. What followed was a frustrating 3-11-2 season in which the Vanguards won just one Capitol Conference game. Fast forward 12 months and Heights/Barneveld is having the type of success Lancaster believed was possible in 2023. The Vanguards are off to a 4-2-1 start after tying Monroe, 2-2, on Sept. 16 and rolling past Lake Mills, 5-2, on Sept. 17. In all, Heights/Barneveld is 3-0-1 in its last four games and is off to a 2-0 start in the Capitol Conference. “I think to really understand our strong start you need to look back to our season last year,” Lancaster said. “We really thought it was going to be our breakout year and we ended up under-performing.  “After the season the players, coaches and I had a talk about what needed to be done if we wanted to take the next step. I put the responsibility back on the captains and asked that they return to doing the type of off-season work we used to do when we were winning conference titles. They took the challenge and ran with it.  “With the help of a few parents they revived the high school club team as well as having open gym time in order to get more time with a ball at their feet. You could immediately tell the difference when the boys came into our first full week of practice. I’m pleased that all the hard work is paying off and that they are getting to enjoy what comes along with it.” Vanguards junior forward/midfielder Greyden Schomber is off to a tremendous start with seven goals and two assists in the first seven games. Freshman forward/midfielder Eli Nicholes has four goals, while junior forward/midfielder Tucker Acker has two goals. Junior midfielder Cooper Shipman has two assists and junior keeper Finn Sutherland has 32 saves. “The success hasn’t been a surprise,” Lancaster said. “Anyone who watched these boys enough could see the ability was there. What has surprised me is the ability of this year’s freshman class. They have really integrated well and pushed the returning players harder than they expected to be pushed.  “You may not see this pay off for the freshman in their stats or playing time this year, but you will see it pay off in the success they will have over the rest of their high school careers. I give all the credit for that to their youth coaches and to my captains for helping them feel like a key part of the team from the beginning.”