MONTGOMERY, Ala. - Versatility and senior leadership are the keys to the first season under Head Coach Colby Phillips that begins Wednesday afternoon on the road against No. 13 Truett McConnell. The Lady Eagles are looking to improve upon a 4-8-4 season last year and make some noise in the highly competitive Southern States Athletic Conference. 

"I've been impressed with the girls embracing it and being like "yeah, I'll play there" and "yeah, I'll try that" and that's all that [Assistant Coach] Jake [Eddy] and I can ask for is that the girls are willing to do that and they have been so far and they've shown that so far in our practices and scrimmage," Phillips said. "I think this group probably has the strongest leadership group I've ever coached which is ideal for coming into a new situation from far away. It's not just the number of the nine seniors but the quality and the commitment. You don't stick around unless you feel like you've got a good connection with the place and we're going to miss them next year but we're going to use them while they're here. They've been great with me in helping bridge the gap between the coaches and players and probably doing things I don't even know about with being those leaders for one another."

The new head coach is eager for his Faulkner debut. "As a player, I was rarely, if ever, nervous. I was always excited, but as a coach it's almost the exact opposite. I'm obviously still excited, but you feel the nerves for the 11 instead of just one. So I'm nervous but I was encouraged by our reaction [to some challenges] in our scrimmage [Monday night]. We had each other's backs and it was really encouraging to see that and having that leadership group with those strong seniors helps me delegate to them. I'm excited but I really just give a lot of credit to the group as a whole."

The preseason has been a highly energetic one that the Lady Eagles have been showing their openness to the new system expected with a new coach. "I told the girls almost every day when we met afterwards that our energy has been really, really positive. Whether we're doing the right or the wrong thing, the energy has been there. That's something as a coach if you want one thing consistent, you want that ... They've done well kind of adapting to a vastly different approach–there's many ways to skin a cat–it's just my particular taste and they've done a really good job of embracing that."

Several players have also stood out in the preseason to the coaching staff. "I think the players that we've been able to bring up [from the initial reserves squad] have done a really good job. Gabby Pfaff is one that has stood out right away and she's someone who can cover a lot of ground and play a couple of different positions and is always willing to learn and work and I think the girls have seen that as well. We had one, Kailee Cox, who was both cross country and soccer but is now just soccer…having her come in and being able to play three or four different positions, basically everything but goalkeeper, having those steady presences like Corinne Weissinger and Ainsley Lockwood–who will play every position except goalkeeper–and Corinne who is such a leader in the back with her physicality and her ability to play attractive football. When she has the ball she can spray it around and pass but she has such a knack for the ball and putting herself between the ball and danger. I've seen Alessia [Confalonieri] really take a step as she's all over the place in a good way… if we can continue to put her in dangerous situations, I can't guarantee but as close to as a guarantee as I can, she's going to produce. She's covering the ground and playing really, really well. Cassie [Jackson] has also been playing really well coming off an injury and surgery in the spring. She's just been really sharp and trying to learn the new system, she fits it really well…I think she fits in the system like a glove. Tomisin [Eludipo] has come in in quick bursts and been really impactful playing on the wing and is giving us really good energy and working really hard and that's something I can say about just about everybody. Madlene [Weissenbach] coming off an injury too and being able to step in and play in the back like she is doing, such a calm presence and smart movements and the physicality on top of that."

The versatility of the squad also extends to the goalkeeper position that looks to be poised for another friendly battle for the gloves again this season. "It's a great thing and a bad thing. All three are seniors on the varsity team so it's a bad, good problem. They all have different strengths about them. While I'm not 100 percent sure what it will look like in the future as we want someone to step up, I do feel confident that whoever it is, the other two will be viable options if and when needed. It's just like any other position for us, we need to make sure who's in form and who can help us the most and that may change depending on the opponent. We may need a certain style in this position whether we're going to be facing a high volume of shots, a lot of speed causing backline problems, or being able to keep the ball more, I think we have options. They do work really well with each other in practice and I've enjoyed being around them, they're a fun group."

Along the defensive back, Phillips is excited about the grouping and ability to mix and match to keep fresh or set up for different matchups. "The backline, when we have everybody healthy, I feel really good about because we have some key depth. The options that come in and you're not looking at a drop off. We have four or five that can play centerback and a lot of options as fullbacks. Ainsley will still play every position, but it will be hard to take her out of that outside back spot. Two out of the four in the back line are fifth year seniors and you can't beat that. And they're captains so it's fantastic. I think Sharon Lopez has done a really good job as well, being one of the few true freshmen and Chloe [Cooper] returning from last year has experience there and I feel like any of our fullbacks can play either side which is really helpful. Daley [Joyner] can play anywhere in the backline, when she's been in she's been really sharp."

The midfield will see several experienced Lady Eagles rotate to keep legs fresh and find matchups they like. "I think we'll have several different faces pop up in the middle, same with the forwards. Having Libby [Graham] who's one player but often plays like three or four sometimes is really good. Players like Sofia de la Torre who has a ton of experience and can probably play any position as well and has already told me that she's willing to do that with the team. Alessia being more mobile and being able to buzz around is really what we need so we can use her quality on the ball and passing further up the field. Ashlei Bryant is one that we have kind of moved around a little too to try to find the most efficient spot for her skillset and she's really embraced that and done a great job. Vanessa [Mateko] has done that as well. Players like Blessing [Godson] has done that too. Gabby [Pfaff] and Zy[kira Marbury] have been great on the wings, just pure energy and we can't put a price on that."

Overall, the Lady Eagles varsity roster currently features nine student-athletes from Alabama and six different countries from three continents.