Germany refers to the game of soccer as fussball (pronounced foosball), which makes a lot of sense since the ball is touched with the feet, unlike our American football where the quarterback passes with his hands to a receiver who, hopefully, catches it.

Shaun Warner, girls varsity soccer coach at Bothell High, is definitely ready for some fussball. As the team’s new coach, he looks forward to helping players realize their individual goals, as well as their goals for the team, as it’s been awhile since Bothell girls varsity soccer has made the playoffs.

Senior player Shannon Schueren says, “For this year, our team goal is to make it to (4A Kingco) playoffs, which I think we have a definite shot at.”

Coach Warner is extremely excited about playing at renovated Pop Keeney Field and is especially looking forward to playing on the new turf. He has coached high-school soccer for seven years, at Bellevue, Ballard and Lake Washington, and remembers those games at Pop Keeney.

“Playing at Pop Keeney was something you frowned upon; it was a boot-‘n-run game.”

He adds, “Now the game will be more organized, the speed of play better and the feel of the game crisper, on the new field turf.”

“Pop Keeney will be the nicest stadium the team will play in,” says the coach, adding, “It’s an exciting atmosphere.”

Warner especially likes the fact that teams will have their own locker rooms where coaches can do their “chalk talk” with their team, away from boisterous, curious fans.

The thrill for his players will come at their first Pop Keeney game at 7 p.m. Thursday against Woodinville — where they will be the first Cougars to play on the new field. They’ll play at the Pop again at 2 p.m. Saturday against Juanita and at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 14 against Inglemoor.

Schueren not only feels the excitement of playing at Pop Keeney, but already realizes the strong bond of her teammates, a team consisting of a variety of seniors, juniors and sophomores.

Schueren says, “Coach Shaun is trying to emphasize how it’s more important to have team unity than individual talent, and everyone has really taken it to heart.”

The varsity team will be ready as it conditioned, ran, dribbled and practiced soccer moves the last two weeks of June and for three days a week in July. During August, some of the seniors held practice with the girls, and Aug. 23 was the first day of the three-day tryouts.

Senior player Ashley Butcher reflects on the team’s practices, “We come out to every practice with high intensity and ready to make our game better each time we step onto the field.”

Schueren says, “The (summer) practices have really given us an edge compared to the past couple of years, because we don’t have to spend as much time conditioning.”

Butcher adds, “The new coach, Shaun, has been great; he brings a lot to the team and a good attitude.”

Both Schueren and Butcher feel that the coach has well prepared the team for the challenging season ahead.

(Bothell kicked off its season Sept. 4 with a nonleague, 4-1 victory over Lake Washington behind two goals from Kendra Heier and one each from Schueren and Katherine Lacy. Heier also scored the winning goal in Bothell’s 1-0 win over Nathan Hale Sept. 7.)

Suzanne G. Beyer is a Bothell resident.