Early in the season, the boys and girls soccer teams are both off to strong starts.

The boys have a 7–4–2 record, while the girls have a 5–5 record. There’s no doubt Akins soccer is playing with a brand new intensity this season, leading to their success early on.

“We have lots of talent on this team. We’re getting better everyday,” said senior defender Fred Blackman.

Although the boys recently suffered a tough 4–0 loss to Westlake, they’ve found success in tournaments.

“We’ve done really well in tournament play and it brings us closer together, which is more important than winning,” said senior forward Jordan Acosta.

The teams’ most memorable game was against rival, Lehman, a game that resulted in a 1–0 win for the Eagles.

“A lot of us were hurt, but we still won off our bench,” Blackman said. “It really brought us closer as a family.”

Despite some recent misfortunes, the team has been playing above par, and seeks to improve throughout the rest of the season to make the playoffs.

“We’re planning on getting far into the playoffs this year,” senior defender Toby Wilhelm said.

“We’ve never gotten past the first round in the playoffs,” Acosta said. “Hopefully we can this year.”

The boys’ team still has more than half of their games left to play. The team’s next two games are against Bowie today, and Anderson on Feb. 18, both games are at Burger Stadium at 7:30 p.m.

The girls’ team has struggled with a 5–5 record, including first place at the Copa Akins tournament.

“I hope we can win more games this year. We’re bonding well,” said sophomore defender Samaria Ramos. “We’re becoming like sisters and are going to stick together.”

The Lady Eagles have been working toward success with an intensified practice.

“We do a lot of running, ball control, and corner kicks,” junior forward Paula Vuorela said.

In spite of a few struggles, the girls are still improving over past year’s performance.

“The team has bonded over the years by bringing each other up and pushing each other no matter what happens during a game,” said senior left back Magaly Reyes.  “It helps gain chemistry.”

With more than 70 percent of their district games left, the girls still have plenty of time to make up for their two district losses.

The girls’ next two games are against Bowie on Tuesday at Burger Stadium at 7:45p.m., and Anderson Feb. 18 at Noack #1 at 7:45 p.m.