Girls soccer preps for season

Brinton Nute, coach for the Wimberley High School girls soccer team, expects no let down from last year’s varsity team that produced an astonishing 18-4 record with only two losses in district play. Fortunately, Coach Nute gets nine experienced starters back from that stellar team. One downside could be last Spring’s graduation of Leah Girard, the Texans outstanding forward, who scored 26 goals and added 22 assists during last year’s fantastic season.

However, filling that role may prove no problem with either senior Anna Olmeda, a forward, or sophomore Holly Harwood ready to move into that role. Tactically, Coach Nute prefers the typical old-school formation (4-4-2) which means four defenders, four midfielders and two strikers up front. “This formation gives us greater chances to defend as a team,” he explains. “But it also gives us chances to more quickly transition to attack as a team.”

Coach Nute says this year’s team may be the most galvanized group of players he’s ever worked with. “The unity within the camp is so strong because they’ve been together as players for such a long time. “We’ve got nine returners,” he says. “Then we’ve got three freshmen coming up and our older players have done a great job of teaching them as they accept them into our group.”

“Last year we went the first eight games without allowing a goal. Casey Crawford, our goal keeper again this year, and our back four have the ability to shut down almost any team’s offense. Casey’s 5’8” so she’s got size in the nets. Our out-and-out toughest player is Anna Olmedo, a senior forward with lots of experience. On the girls’ side, sometimes we don’t get as physical as maybe we should, but Anna will run over people. She’s super strong and she’s very, very physical.”

Asked to suggest which teams will challenge for the district title, the coach suggested, “The toughest teams we expect to meet this year in our district are those same teams that have been tough every year ---Borne and Fredericksburg. Of course, we also play always tough Liberty Hill.”

On the question of whether it’s harder to coach girls than boys, Nute answered, “I think it’s quite the opposite. On the high school level, although the boys are faster and quicker, the girls are more willing to listen, to learn new ways to play the game. They present a better attitude and a stronger work ethic.

Coach Nute originally came from Cornwall, England to the United States on a scholarship at Savanna College of Art Design. While there, he captained the soccer team for three years and was named to the collegiate All-American soccer team in 2013.

Coach Nute is married to a Texan from Bellville, west of Houston, who he met while studying and playing soccer at SCAD. The couple have a recent set of twins.

Assisting with the varsity and working as the junior varsity coach will be Tony Castaneda, an A-licensed soccer coach who worked with the boys’ team last year but this year moved to the girls’ program.