Girls get competitive during preseason

Sophomore+Valerie+Marquez+takes+a+long+run+against+Hays+High+School.+The+team+fell+6+to+1+against+Hays

Sophomore Valerie Marquez takes a long run against Hays High School. The team fell 6 to 1 against Hays

Brenda Amaya-Rangel, News Editor

As district play begins for the Girls Varsity Soccer team players are looking forward to moving past some of their preseason losses and stumbles to regain their course toward completing a successful season.

In preseason play, the girls varsity team won three tournaments and lost to two and tied with one.

“We’re doing really good as a team and I think that we can get more wins this year than last year,” junior Gabriela Garcia said.

A win at the Iron Horse Invitation Tournament in Giddings in mid January, buoyed the team’s spirits before district play began in late January. At the tournament the varsity squad won three out of four games, tying the last one.

Akins came out on top based on the goal differential and took home the tournament trophy.

“We ended up winning first place in the Giddings Tournament and we’re looking really good and we’re ready to start our district season,” varsity coach Eric Cannon said.

The JV girls have just begun their own district games. So far the junior varsity team has had two losses and a tie.

“We’ve definitely got better at every game and then we played Westlake last Friday,” JV coach Kristen Aaltonen said. ”We definitely held them. It was really good. The girls have been playing really hard I’m very proud of them.”

JV players said they hope the JV team is able to bond and play together to the point where they can work very well as a unit.

“Our positioning is our biggest thing so each person is working on what they’re good at and pursuing that and improving on that, its really helped the team,” junior Julia Jackola said.

Last year, girls soccer only had two teams: junior varsity and Varsity. This year girls soccer created a new junior varsity B Team, which is coached by Hannes Brueckner.

“I was not here last season as the coach, but I think we have a good group of girls that are really willing to work hard to improve and eventually move up to junior varsity or varsity,” Brueckner said.

So far the junior varsity B Team girls have won one game and lost two.

“I think we’re getting better at every game, the practice sessions we have almost every morning has really helped us with our skills and ball handling,” freshmen Aricia Amaro said.

The next two upcoming games for the girls are against the Anderson Trojans on Friday at House Park. at 5:30 p.m. for JV and 7:15 p.m. for varsity, and February 10 against Woods High at 7:30 p.m.