There is something quite different about the girl’s soccer team this year. It could be the experiences of last year’s playoff run or maybe it is the infusion of veteran leadership with young talent that has finally meshed.

“It was tough not getting as far as we thought we could last year in the playoffs,” senior midfielder Rachael Gleason said. “I really believe that we have an even better team this year and anything short of making it to the state championship would be pretty disappointing.”

One of the roster additions this season is a pretty unique situation involving senior forward Kensey Berry.  When the program first started, Berry was an essential factor of the success the team had. But, last season she decided to hang up her cleats to focus on hurdling in track and field, where she has already won an individual state championship in 2010.

“The year that I took off really showed me how much I missed playing soccer,” Berry said. “This is my last chance to play soccer competitively since I’m going to college for hurdles, so I really want to enjoy my last season as a soccer player.”

This year the team took on a tough non-district schedule facing teams such as Highland Park, Allen, and defending 4A champions Frisco Wakeland.

“Playing such a tough non-district schedule I think it really helps out the girls,” head coach Jeff Kear said. “You gain confidence when you are competitive against teams like Highland Park, and when you win, so much is gained mentally from that.”

Such a case is the 1-0 shootout victory over Frisco Wakeland, when freshman forward Dominique Mazero made the game winning shot.

“Before the shot I was literally crying under the pressure that was over me,” Mazero said. “Today I still hate being put into a situation where I can win the game, but I’ll do it again if I have to.”

With district play underway, starting with a 7-0 victory over Quinlan Ford, and a game at Rockwall this Friday, there is a serious undertone with every game deciding the road the team will take to the playoffs.

“The way the girls’ have been playing has really made me feel that the sky is the limit for this season,” Kear said. “But, of course we still have some fine tuning to do to make sure we are ready for everything that is about to come up.”