The Norton High School girls varsity soccer team has come a long way in a short period of time. 

Just four years ago they finished the year 1-17.  Now, the girls just finished their season with an 8-5-6 record, third best in the Tri-Valley League (TVL) and their best regular season finish ever in the TVL.  The girls lost to No. 6 seed Pembroke in the first round of the South Sectional playoffs, but the season was certainly a success.  

The time that the team started to turn around their fortunes coincides with when coach Todd Kefor took over the varsity squad for good.  After coaching 1 ½ years at JV, he took over the varsity squad full-time three and half years ago in the middle of the season.  But, if you ask Kefor what was the biggest contributing factor to their program's success, he will tell you it is his players.  

"I feel a real connection with this team, as a lot of the seniors came into this team at the same time as me," said Kefor. "These players really turned around the program.  The seniors have had a positive impact on the morale of our team." 

There are currently seven seniors on the varsity squad, and six of them played on the JV squad with Kefor.  Hence, there was a lot of camaraderie on the team, which also meant high expectations for the team to perform well this year.  Kefor and his three captains, Jillian Wry (sweeper), Bianna Valeri (midfielder), and Julie Aussebel (stopper) helped lead the team to a strong regular season in a very strong league.

"Looking at our record, and that being third best in the league, shows you how strong of a league it is, everyone beats up on each other pretty badly," said Kefor.Players who had never been started before also stepped up when needed.  Emily Hastings, a former JV player, played a supportive role behind a strong defender last year, this year as a senior; she started for the first time. 

"She played the whole season and really delivered," Kefor said. "She did not have an easy job, usually covering the fastest players on the other team."  

The underclassmen on the team followed the seniors' strong example and put in some very solid performances as well.   Kimberly Shue, a junior, had a great year. 

 "She is a very versatile player, she can play any position," said Kefor. " She is the type of player who can do whatever the team needs."

Kefor and his team had high expectations of themselves this year, and they lived up to those expectations.  In a short period of time, they have turned around their entire soccer program and are looking at a bright future.  Even though they were eliminated early in the playoffs, their very strong regular season record shows they are a program on the rise.  Next year, they will try to further improve their regular season record, as they attempt to push deeper into the playoffs.