A program record-setting season ended for the girls soccer team last Tuesday in a 1-0 loss against the White Longhorns in the second round of the playoffs.
“We just couldn’t find a way to break them down, and they put away their chance,” head coach Ian Keeble said. “That’s how soccer goes quite often unfortunately, but that’s part of what makes the game so great.”
The team ended with a 19-3-1 overall record on the season, surpassing the 2014 record.
“Going into the season, we didn’t think we would be as successful or go as far as we did,” senior right forward Avery Templin said. “After all the seniors left, we weren’t too sure how we would play as a team. We definitely succeeded our expectations over the season and put in the work to get what we wanted. Sadly, we lost in the second round when we were expecting a win, but it was a record breaking season.”
The team’s only other two losses on the season were against Rock Hill and Wylie East in February. Both of those teams were at the top of the Leopard’s district.
“My favorite memory this year was winning the first round of playoffs because the team we beat was predicted to make it pretty far in playoffs, and we were expected to lose the first round,” senior defender Amiya Callicutt said. “The game was intense, but we pulled through. It was the best feeling in the world.”
On the season, the team went undefeated at their home field in Leopard Stadium with an 8-0 record.
“We had so much success because of our chemistry and passion,” Templin said. “This group we had cared so much about each other, and we all had the same mindset. On and off the field we got along so well, and it really showed on the field. We were still able to have fun but be serious when it was time to.”
The team’s six seniors will walk on the graduation stage this May, clearing the way for six spots for the team to replace next season.
“My expectation is the returning players will continue to build on the tradition the seniors started the last four years,” Keeble said. “Essentially, we are returning eleven starters if you include the two players who missed most of the season through injury. We will have some pretty big goals for next year, but we have to put in the work everyday it takes to achieve those goals and improve on the season we just had.”
Templin says the group this year set the standard for the team to carry on in the following years. Moving forward, the seniors moving on remain confident in the future of girls soccer.
“I think the future of the soccer team is going to be very successful,” Callicutt said. “I think this season was a big motivator for a lot of the returning players, and I know that they will continue to want to go further in playoffs and keep the tradition of going to playoffs.”
