Early morning practice sessions are the norm for the Eastlake Wolves girls soccer team during late August.

Eastlake girls soccer head coach Marc Wilson, who is in his fourth season leading the program, is a disciplinarian who cares immensely about his players.

“We typically start at 7 a.m. The girls obviously don’t love it but it gets them prepped for the school year,” Wilson said with a smile.

The first week of practices spanning a time frame from Aug. 20 through Aug. 24, were conducted inside the Eastlake High School gymnasium due to horrendous air quality that blanketed Western Washington due to wildfires throughout the Pacific Northwest.

“It was a challenge and we did the best we could. It was a tough environment to evaluate kids in tryouts because you’re on a basketball floor. You don’t get the true bounces and have the space you have on a regular field. We extended tryouts all the way through Friday (Aug. 24) to give the girls an opportunity to show their best. We felt like it was important they have that opportunity,” Wilson explained.

The Wolves will be led this fall by its quartet of captains consisting of Lauren Jensen (defender, midfielder), Olivia Harris (goalie), Lindsey Langton (defender/midfielder) and Alexa Jung (defender/midfielder).

“They are an extension of the coaching staff. They know what to expect and what we expect. The great thing is they are easily four of the hardest working kids in the program day in and day out. They are leading by example every day,” Wilson said.

Wilson expects his talented team to compete in the always tough 4A KingCo Conference.

“It is the best conference in the state from top to bottom. There is no question about it,” Wilson said. “Skyline is just a mile away. Issaquah (defending state champs) has a different coach but I don’t expect them to miss a beat. Those are the two teams you always expect to be in contention at the top. We’re looking forward to playing them and hopefully dethroning them if we can,” Wilson said.