The Varsity Girl’s Soccer team began their season last week with one of their toughest competitors of the season against Incarnate Word Academy. The weather conditions were not in their favor, for it rained off and on continuously throughout the game.

“I think when you have weather conditions like that you have to worry about it especially with the skips and the bounces,” Assistant Coach Larry Scheller said. “Both teams weren’t that affected by it though. We both played aggressive and went hard to the ball. You didn’t really see any players having issues with the ball skipping.”

Throughout the game, the teams went back and forth in possession, and by the last five minutes of the second half, the game remained scoreless.

“The game was already intense because Incarnate has always been a tough game,” senior Bailey North said. “In the last 30 seconds we had a corner kick and we knew it was probably the last attack we had left in the game to score, so that made it all the more exciting.”

In the final 30 seconds of the game, the Knights got a corner kick. Senior Carli Bond sends the ball straight to the far post, where Bailey North was able to get the ball past IWA’s keeper.

“I think for the first game it was a very intense game,” Scheller said. “We played a very good team but we played hard and kept our heads in the game. The goal at the end of the game made for a solid end to a good game.”

Coming off of this win, the team is going to continue to practice every day to improve their passing, kicking and shooting skills. The typical practice consists of warm up, various passing drills and followed with a scrimmage, usually against JV.

“We do all different types of drills, really just anything to prepare us for whoever we’re playing,” sophomore Amanda Orlando said. “But we all play as a team and we all play to win.”

Under the direction of the coaches, Mark Olwig and Scheller, the team is inspired to perform their best and do what it takes to win. According to sophomore Samantha Donaldson, the coaches play a major role in the success of the team and are hoping to return to state this season.

“The coaches are going to push us very hard and expect us to go back to state,” Donaldson said. “They push us to be successful and are very inspiring.”

Last season the team advanced to the Final Four and finished fourth in the state. This was the first time the Girl’s Soccer team advanced this far in the state tournament since 1997 and the team hopes to advance this far again this season.

“It definitely raises expectations, but mine is to always win a district title as a team,” Olwig said. “It’s always a challenge, but we achieve it through hard work.”