Members of the Varsity Girls Soccer team have put their all into building a strong team while struggling to win district games this year.

The team started strong and won four games before district games started in mid-January. The team has yet to win a district game this season while playing against powerhouse teams in our area. Despite the team’s struggles, the players have focused their efforts on forming strong bonds needed to play well as a team.

The Akins Girls Soccer team recently started their district season after a remarkable pre-season. They played in their first ever tournament in early January, winning against schools like Cedar Creek winning by 2-1 and Bellville, which they beat 6-0. The team won first place at the Giddings Invitational Tournament and went on a 4-game winning streak. They started their season 4-0.

The team then played their first district game versus Del Valle, in which their winning streak ended. Since then the team’s overall record is now 4-5, making them last in the district.

Despite this, Marlen Hernandez, a senior on the varsity team, became the first Akins Soccer player in school history, boys or girls, to sign to a D1 school. Hernandez signed to Youngstown State University in Ohio and will attend next fall. Coach Kat, the Head Girls Soccer Coach, wishes Hernandez a great career and hopes she’ll “remember the times that she had here at Akins.”

Head coach also believes that Hernandez is the first of many soccer players here at Akins to go D1. She sees “a lot of D1 potential” and believes that Hernandez is “setting up the standard for other players coming after her.” Even with this D1 player, they have struggled to play as a united team. The coach states the team has very good players, but they have issues trying to “bring everything together to make one big team.”

Junior Monse Valenzuela, who plays on the Varsity Team, shares that she’d like to get an honorable mention award again and wants to “stand out a little bit more.” Her favorite part of being on the team is the friendships.

Similar to Valenzuela, her teammate Hernandez wants to be MVP and win her senior night. She also says her favorite part of being on the team is “the friendships that come along with it and the memories.”

Both players are overachievers on and off the field and play every game till the last second. With this, the team has not yet won a district game yet this season.

Katia Castellanos, Head Coach for the Varsity Girls Soccer Team, said that they knew that it would be a tough season going into district games.

“We knew that coming into season, we were playing those powerhouses, and that would be difficult.”

She encourages the players to win their individual battles.

“So win the ball in front of you, win the tackle in front of you and those are wins that we can take away from the games,” she said.

She said she is proud of the team for playing till the end of the game unlike in years past. The biggest challenge is their chemistry on and off the field.

“Sometimes they don’t trust each other outside of the field and they’re not going to trust each other on the field,” she said.

She said she wants players to take away good traits, experiences, and to continue to love the game. No matter what the score is, she is proud of the team and the way they carry themselves on and off the field.

She encourages players to “lead with love” and wants them to not only be good athletes but also good people and students.

As the season progresses she said she hopes they “can continue to be lifelong learners and continue to grow.”