He told his players they wouldn’t lose again. Then came 13 wins and another state title.
After the Glenwood girls soccer team lost nine seniors from 2017, coach John Robertson knew the Lady Gators might face a learning curve this spring. Even with a slow start to the season, Robertson was confident his latest team could turn the corner.
Glenwood made strides in the first few games but could not finish, winning only once in its first four matches. It was a change of pace for the five-time defending Class 3A state champions, but Robertson had seen enough to know the losing wouldn’t last much longer.
“It was little mistakes that were killing us. We had to correct that, and we worked and worked and worked,” Robertson said. “When we lost (on March 6), I told them, ‘We’re not going to lose anymore. That’s it. We’re ready.’”
Thanks to the Lady Gators’ work, Robertson’s message became reality. Fueled in part by a revamped six-practices-a-week schedule, Glenwood fixed its lingering mistakes on the field. The Lady Gators won 13 consecutive matches, the last being a 2-1 victory over Lee-Scott to clinch Glenwood’s sixth straight state title.
“Your first state championship is always great, but this one was really special,” Robertson said. “Nobody predicted us to have a great season. To finish it off with another championship, it’s hard to describe the feeling. I felt so much pride for the girls who worked so hard to get there.”
Robertson attributed the turnaround to the experience on the Glenwood team. Even though many were thrust into bigger roles, they all understood the expectations of the Glenwood coaching staff as well as their fellow teammates.
Glenwood won before and during the time the Class of 2017 played on the team; it was up to this group to keep the squad winning now that they were gone.
The team’s resurgence came in part due to the new defenders finding their groove. Glenwood nearly replaced their whole defense from 2017, including goalkeeper. In stepped Taylor Johnson, a sophomore basketball player at Glenwood who had never played before.
Johnson and her teammates were a work-in-progress through the early portion of the season. Once things finally clicked, the Lady Gators’ play was nearly lights out.
It all culminated on Friday, when Glenwood faced Lee-Scott, the team that beat the Lady Gators in the game which prompted Robertson’s guarantee.
The first 20 minutes of the showdown were a defensive struggle, as Glenwood held the Lee-Scott attack in check and only allowed one shot on goal. Jordyn Wheeler broke the deadlock six minutes later with a goal to put Glenwood up 1-0. Three minutes later, Sydney Norris provided the assist to Emily Sawtelle, who connected on a shot in the top right corner of the Lee-Scott goal.
Lee-Scott’s Riley Faison managed a goal in the 60th minute of the match to cut Glenwood’s lead to 2-1, but the Lady Gators’ defensive effort held their opponent in check the rest of the way. The Lady Gators added another state championship to their collection, while Wheeler was named Tournament MVP.
Robertson credited Wheeler for playing an important part in Glenwood’s latest title run.
“Jordyn was somebody who really applied a lot of pressure on the other team’s defense and goal,” Robertson said. “The defense always flowed over to her. Even in games where she didn’t score, she had plenty of assists because she was able to beat one or two. This year, she became a lot more physical and really got her body ready for the season. She stepped up a ton.”
As Glenwood gears up for a seventh straight title, the team has to replace seniors Addie Smith and Abby Brown. Robertson is optimistic due to the experience of those who backed up Brown and Smith, who played through a torn ACL before bowing out for the remainder of the year.
“Hopefully, everything stays balanced and we’re ready,” Robertson said. “I know our team captains are ready.”
This story was originally published April 24, 2018 at 4:05 PM with the headline "He told his players they wouldn’t lose again. Then came 13 wins and another state title.."