Q&A with Tricia Donaldson

By: Derek Liberman

Derek Liberman: How did it feel to win the B Conference Championship?
Tricia Donaldson: Although it was my fourth year coaching at Maryvale, it was only my first year as head varsity coach, so to win the championship my very first year was extremely exciting for me and obviously for the girls as well. It was actually very ironic how it all played out because our opponent ended up being Mount de Sales, whose coach was the Maryvale coach the previous year. This coach brought the girls to the championship game that year and came out co-champions, so the girls were pretty excited to be able to say that they beat their old coach in the championship game.

DL: Coming off a championship-winning season, what kind of pressure do you feel there is to have another successful season?
TD: Actually, I do not feel much pressure at all this season. We may have lost some top players last year and have to rebuild a little bit this year, but we are a completely different team. Just like every new team, we start from scratch and work our way up. The girls are doing great so far.

DL: What would you attribute last season's success to?
TD: A culmination of many things; mainly I would say a very cohesive team. The girls had great communication and worked really well together.

DL: How would you compare last year's results to what you are expecting out of your team for the upcoming season? You mentioned that you lost five seniors, is it possible that Maryvale can repeat last year's performance?
TD: Although we lost five starting seniors last year, we actually have more seniors on the team this year. Just like any new team, we are going to have to practice hard to perform as well as we did last year; we may have more of a balanced attack this season as opposed to concentrating on any one particular player, but we have a great group of players and anything is possible for this upcoming season.

DL: Having lost five seniors, one of which was your top scorer, do you feel it is going to be difficult filling the void? Do you think someone could step up and contribute?
TD: I see a few girls having the potential to step up. Our starting defense will be the same as last year so I anticipate a great turnout from them.

DL: What kind of class do you feel you have coming up from JV? Do you think any of the new girls could come in and have an immediate impact?
TD: It is difficult to tell at this point, it is still so early in the season. The younger girls are doing well so far; I guess we will see.

DL: How if at all do you feel the new players will change the dynamics of the team?
TD: All the girls have something great to offer to the team. Like I said, the entire team is new, so we are all working on playing well together and we are doing a great job so far.

DL: With the differences in the makeup of the team, what kind of changes will that bring in terms of the style of play?
TD: A more balanced attack, maybe even stronger defensively. Last year one girl scored 99 percent of our goals, and I'm anxious to see how our team will get together offensively.

DL: As a whole, considering offense, defense and the new goalie situation, what kind of talent do you feel you have coming into this season in comparison to previous seasons?
TD: We can hold our own; we will be up there with the best of them. We look solid. The girls have the mental mindset to get back to the championship having had a taste of it last year.

DL: Is there a team goal going into this season? If so, what is it?
TD: Ultimately, like any team, our goal is to win the championship.

DL: Practice has now begun. What's your initial prediction as to how Maryvale will finish this season?
TD: Repeat, we're going to win it all. (Laughing) That's what you're supposed to say right? We set ourselves up high, we want to go out and win as many games as possible.