This past week, the girls soccer team competed in a tournament, leaving with a 3-1 record. The team made it to the semifinal round. The tournament was the team’s first official game of this season.
“We all learned we have a better team than last year,” head coach Ian Keeble said. “The returning players really put in the work to improve since our season ended last year. The new players to the team are also making big contributions.”
The team swept opponents in their first three games with scores of 4-0 vs. Arlington Heights, 5-0 vs. Denton Ryan, and 2-0 vs. Argyle. In their semifinal game, the team was unable to hold their lead in the second half and finished off the game with a 1-2 loss to Colleyville.
“We need to improve on finishing teams off,” Keeble said. “We had Colleyville beat, but we let them off the hook at the end of the game.”
The team began preparing for the season at the beginning of the school year with daily practices and scrimmages. They also attended practices and camps during the summer to practice as a team with new and returning players.
“We are beginning to learn how to work together as a team to play more effectively,” sophomore Hannah Dollinger said. “The tournament was very beneficial for us to all learn more about each other’s playing style and to bond more as a team.”
The soccer team consists of returning and new players this year, and this is the first time some of the girls have played together.
“I think we learned about some areas in our play that we can improve a little bit, and also we got to see some of the new girls play and learn more about their style of play,” senior Lexie Schutte said. “I think the more team bonding the team does, the better we will work together on the field”
Last season the team shared the district championship with Wylie East and McKinney North because the season was cut short. This was the first district championship in the girls soccer program history, and this season, they are working to take the district title.
“Our main focus this season is to continue to work hard to play as a cohesive team against some of the more difficult teams in our district including Wylie East and McKinney North,” Dollinger said. “As a team, I think we need to continue to work on positioning and communication.”
This season, the team is focusing on winning districts and advancing to playoffs, but they want to focus on winning each game one at a time and trust the process of making it to the playoffs.
“Last year, we won a share of the district title, so this year, our main goal is to win the district title outright,” Keeble said. “We need to focus on the daily process it takes to get there first, then the titles will come.”
