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Cottonwood Heights Journal

Olympus High School Girls Soccer Team Preview

Nov 12, 2015 12:55PM ● By Bryan Scott

By Sarah Almond 

With just days until their first conference game against Skyline on Aug. 25, the Olympus High School Girls Soccer team is gearing up for an exciting season. Having recently changed conferences, the girls will be facing new competition this year including high school teams from Judge Memorial, Hillcrest, Woods Cross, Herriman, Kearns and Cyprus. 

Beginning his second year as head coach for the team, Nermin Sasivarevic is looking forward to a new season in a new conference. The team recently changed divisions, from 5A to 4A.

 “All of our games were really, really tough last year,” he said.

 Out of the 16 games they played in the 2014 season, the team won six, tied one and lost nine.

 “We have a quality group of girls,” Sasivarevic said. “Within a few weeks, we are going to be a really solid group. If we stay healthy and work hard, we can achieve our goal of making it to the state championships.”

 Sasivarevic held tryouts Aug. 3 and 4, and nearly 45 girls showed up to compete for a spot on the team. After two days of running drills, endurance testing and ball handling, 36 players made the cut.

 “Tryouts went smoother this year,” Sasivarevic said, “there was a lot of talent to choose from.”

 Though the team has only three seniors – Sydney Knight, Anesa Sasivarevic and Sarah Newton – they do not lack experience. Aside from several returning players, Sasivarevic himself has led a life rich with soccer influence.

 Sasivarevic played professional soccer in Dobojo, Bosnia, a country in southeastern Europe on the Balkan Peninsula. However, in 1992, he was recruited to fight in the Bosnian War for four months before leaving the country.  Sasivarevic and his brother moved to Munich, Germany where he continued to play semi-professional soccer. He and his wife, moved to Utah on Oct. 14, 1997, after a friend from Dobojo recommended the move.

 “I didn’t see anyone playing soccer on the streets when I moved here,” he said, “so I thought it wasn’t around.”

 It didn’t take long for him to change his perspective. Once his English improved, Sasivarevic began taking coaching courses and working toward becoming a professional, licensed soccer coach.

 Sasivarevic worked as an Olympic Development Coach for more than a decade and has achieved a NSCAA Premier License, the highest level of licensing in soccer. When not coaching girls soccer, Sasivarevic works as a physical education teacher at Bennion Junior High School.

 Assistant Coach Dan Fassler is an Olympus High School graduate who played for the boys soccer team throughout his entire high school career. As his first year on the coaching staff, Fassler is excited about working with Sasivarevic and the talented players on the OHS team.

 The team kicked off their season with a rivalry game against Skyline High School on Aug. 25 at 3:30 p.m.

 “I’m really looking forward to gelling together as a team and supporting one another,” Sasivarevic said.