Girls Teams Look Strong
The girls of southern Denton County should represent the region admirably on the pitch.
Flower Mound, Argyle and Denton are reputed nationally for producing some of the strongest soccer talent in the country and 2013 should be no different.
The Flower Mound High School girls won the district 8-5A championship in 2011-2012, and coach Trina Hamner said her girls are hungry to defend their title.
“This season, we are blessed to have 12 returners from last year and have added a lot of great talent from JV as well as two freshmen, Christan Perkins and Megan Heckendorn,” Hamner said. “Megan’s older sister returns for her third year as a junior captain for us this season (Emma Heckendorn). Our senior captains this year are Megan Crafton, Jessica Broadbent, and AV Vigil.
“Joining Emma as junior captains are Gabi D’Alesandro and Sydney Rapp. We are changing up a few things with our formation this season and are excited to see how well we have got it down. It adds more to our style of play and should help in getting us more opportunities to score.”
Hamner said she is not sure who will be the team to beat in district this year, but said it is pretty stacked.
“As always, any given day a team can show up or get beat,” Hamner said. “I feel all the teams in our district are great competition, and we just need to stay focused taking one game at a time.”
Flower Mound advanced to the regional quarterfinals last year before losing to eventual state champion Plano West 3-1, and Hamner said the goals for this year are to repeat as district champions and get further in the playoffs than last season.
Hamner said the best way for her team to accomplish its objectives are to “use all of our strengths wisely and focus on one game at a time.”
Across town at Marcus, the Lady Marauders made a deep run in the playoffs as well, and coach Chad Hobbs said the goal this year to attend to unfinished business.
“We were one step away from the state championships last year,” Hobbs said. “So our expectations are to reach the state championships this year.”
Marcus finished the 2012 season with a 26-3-2 record and second in district 8-5A competition.
The team advanced to the regional finals before losing to Plano West, again, one step before the state tournament.
Hobbs said he is feeling optimistic about his team this season and repeated that his team’s objective remains the same.
“We will have a very strong team again this season,” Hobbs said. “Our goal is to compete for a state championship.”
The Marcus coach said he expects St. Thomas Aquinas (Fla.), McKinney Boyd, Coppell, Plano West and Flower Mound to be among Marcus’ most difficult opponents this season, but said he has a number of players he expects to step up big and have great seasons for the Lady Marauders.
“Attacking standouts will be senior forward Katelyn Mountjoy, junior forward Natalie Schmutz and sophomore Midfielder Dani Murphy,” Hobbs said. “Defensive standouts will be junior defender Maddie Brem, senior defender Courtney Forte, and junior keeper Meg Smith.”
The Guyer girls soccer team missed the playoffs in 2012, but not before finishing up the season with six district victories.
The Lady Wildcats return Brittany C
rabtree, who scored 16 goals last season, and Hannah Alspach, who ended the season with seven goals.
With the move down in classification to 4A this season because of district realignment, the Lady Wildcats should be poised to make a playoff run if the team can stay healthy.
For Argyle coach Jennifer Goodpaster, 2013 is the first time in the history of the Argyle girls soccer program that she believes the team is a legitimate playoff contender.
Competing in a 4A district has been tough on the small 3A program, but after two district victories and a draw last season, Goodpaster said things are definitely looking up for the Lady Eagles.
“The team made major strides last year for their season and district rankings,” Goodpaster said. “For the upcoming season, the team will be in better shape than last year. We lost two seniors but gained four excellent freshmen, and we are retaining nine of our starting players from last year.
“This will greatly increase our overall experience. We have 14 girls on our roster, so it will be rough going against the 4A teams who have not only a full 18 varsity roster, but a JV and Freshmen team as well.”
Goodpaster said she is expecting three of her players to lead the way for the Lady Eagles in 2013.
“I expect Audra Webbe, Hannah Neece, and Kylee Harper to lead the team into the season,” Goodpaster said. “Hannah scored 19 goals last season, and I expect her to score even more this year, because she now has a taste for going to goal. She plays sweeper and outside midfield for The Sting, so it is a bit of a change for her when she comes to high school.”
Just as Flower Mound and Marcus are district rivals, so too will Guyer and Argyle be this season, and Goodpaster said she expects her team’s new rival to the north to be very good.
“My district, for the girls, is the most difficult in the 4A division,” Goodpaster said. “Three of the teams are ranked in the top 10 in the state, and I get to play them all twice.”
With the season just about underway, Goodpaster said that she has a definite plan of attack for how her team can make the post-season.
“We will have to beat Lake Dallas and Denton HS this year,” Goodpaster said. “I think we can do both, and I believe we are a contender to make the playoffs for the first time in the history of the girls program this year. We beat Lake Dallas twice in the district last year, and we tied Denton HS last year as well. It is doable, but we must work hard, be dedicated, and work together.”
