Southern Ohio Sports Authority is presented by OhioHealth.
CHILLICOTHE — When the ball is at Aidyn Danison’s feet, good things tend to happen.
That statement has never been truer than it was last fall as the Shermans’ forward led her teammates to 10 victories and a fourth consecutive league championship.
Her efforts were rewarded with the SVC’s Player of the Year honor and a first-team all-district nod.
But that was then and this is now. While those accomplishments are nice to look back on, a new season is on the horizon and Danison is ready to get back to work.
Before the Tanks begin their season on Aug. 17 against Wheelersburg, we caught up with Danison to discuss her offseason work, defending her SVC POY honor, playing under pressure and much more.
Question: First and foremost, how’s the offseason going? How have you been working to get better and what have you been focusing on most?
Danison: The offseason is going great. We have a lot of girls this year and have had lots of people at open fields. It’s crazy to see how driven our team is to get better this offseason. For me personally, I have been working on getting myself back in soccer shape as I like to call it. Although I do a lot of running in track, nothing compares to the endurance you need in soccer. Besides that, I have also been working on my first touch. That is probably my biggest weakness and I’m trying to strengthen it.
Q: Having said that, the offseason is almost over. Believe it or not, the season is just weeks away. You are the reigning SVC Player of the Year for the reigning conference champs. How do you follow up such a great year this fall?
AD: Our season opener is weeks away and to say the least, I am so pumped. As the reigning SVC Player of the Year, there is honestly some pressure leading into this season. That’s mainly because I will have a target on my back. Even in our preseason scrimmages, I was being man-marked the whole time. But the thing I keep telling myself is that it’s only up from here. I’ve been putting in work since last season was over and I’m excited to see that show this fall.
Q: As usual, the schedule you’ll play is challenging with opponents like Fairfield Union, Wheelersburg, Marietta, Lynchburg-Clay, etc. While it’s tough to navigate through, why do you feel your schedule benefits you as a team?
CREDIT: Derrick Webb/SOSA
AD: Our schedule has always had amazing opponents to push us, and although some see it as a bad thing, our team doesn’t. We use the harder games, such as Fairfield Union, or Jackson, as practice for the tournament. But we also look at those games as our time to show that we deserve that title just as much as they do. Sometimes, it can be discouraging to lose a 1-0 game or tying. But those are the games that give us our hope and drive come tournament time.
Q: You led the team in scoring last year and, if all goes well, you’ll do that again. What’s the biggest key to getting yourself in a position to score before finishing in the net?
AD: My biggest key to scoring is trusting in myself that I can do it. When you miss shot after shot, it can get annoying. But telling myself that I can do it and having my coach, Jeremy [Clark], tell me that the shots will fall and to just keep shooting — which he says a lot — allows me to recenter myself and have the confidence to shoot again. On top of telling myself I can do it and believing I can, I wouldn’t score as much as I do without my teammates feeding me the balls with my runs. My team knows I am a fast player. If they can pass into space, they trust that I will get to the ball. I’m thankful my team has trust in me to get to the ball and score.
Q: Can you name a couple of under-the-radar teammates that will make a big impact this season?
AD: We have a huge freshman class this year that will have a huge impact on our season’s success. Just watching how much they have grown from June to now is crazy. Within that freshman class is our starting goalie, Jillian Mathey. She is phenomenal and her confidence just continues to grow each practice. I am excited to see what this season brings for her. Another player people should know about is Ellie Myers. She will be a sophomore this year and with that first year under her belt, she will be able to lead our team from the back line. She is doing a good job at filling Amelia Uhrig’s shoes, and will continue to help our team in tremendous ways.
Q: Overall, what can we expect from Unioto this season? What are your team’s goals?
AD: For the teams that beat us last year, I say watch out. Unioto is stronger than ever and we’re ready for that district title and a long tournament run. A team motto that we like to go by is to have fun. Although tournament runs are nice and we’re all determined to make one this year, we don’t want to miss out on the high school soccer experience. It truly is amazing to get to play for such an amazing team, and as a team, we are excited for a long, fun, and exciting ride.
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