With soccer season getting underway, the girl’s programs of southern Denton County have good reason to be optimistic.
Five of the region’s six teams made the playoffs last year, including one that brought home a state championship, and 2025-26 could be just as good.
The Marcus girls won the 6A-II State Championship last season, finishing 19-4-3 overall and 11-3 in district play.
Coach Erin Smith said things look like they are falling into place for being early on in the season.
“I’m excited for the season and hope to see our hard work from the preseason pay off,” Smith said. “The team looks solid and we’re prepared for a competitive year. We returned strong players from last year’s group and added a handful of talented new faces to our varsity team, so we are eager to get games underway to see how we match up against our opponents.”
Players to watch for the Lady Marauders in 2025-26 include senior forward Madi Patterson (Texas Tech), a scoring machine who is entering this season with 90 goals thus far in her high school career.
Marcus’ defense/back line of Piper Garcia (American University), Ryleigh Albin (LSU), Ava Young and Madison Rakestraw are also all returning.
To make another deep run into the playoffs, the defending district 5-6A champions will need to do a couple of things.
“While coming off a successful year is motivating, it also comes with challenges,” Smith said. “Last year is in the past and we have to remain focused on the season ahead of us. There’s no time to look back. There are no easy weeks in district play, so we will have to leave our best on the field every Tuesday and Friday night.”
Over at Flower Mound, the Lady Jaguars are coming off of an incredibly strong season as well that included a trip to the regional finals.
First-year head coach Mandy Hall said she feels optimistic about this season and the way things are progressing.
“This year has included a lot of changes for our program,” Hall said. “Seventeen seniors graduated last year and I am a new coach with this being my first season. But the girls have handled the changes well and shown their adaptability and drive to be successful.”
Hall said midfielder Jaylynn Traver will be a player to watch because she is “very technical with incredible field vision.”
She also highlighted forward Katie Pinto for her natural inclination towards goal and ability to be quick on and off the ball.
Hall said the talents of Traver and Pinto will lead the way for the Lady Jags this year.
Flower Mound finished third in district last season. In order to keep up that status or improve it, Hall said it will take consistency.
“We will have to be consistent throughout our district play,” Hall said. “Our district is the toughest in the state, so every game matters and every game will be competitive. We need to remain focused and healthy throughout district play.”
Up in Denton, the Guyer girls’ soccer team is looking to pick up right where it left off after finishing 14-6-2 last season and a fourth place in the district 6-5A standings.
Guyer’s regular season performance was enough to make the playoffs, but the Lady Wildcats came up just short in the bi-district round against regional-finalist Prosper.
The Lady Wildcats return a core of strong players, including district Co-Freshman of the Year Hadley Hartsfield and all-district selections Fenley Hibbard (midfielder), Keira Floyd, (defender) and Camila Mujica (forward).
Down in Justin, the Northwest soccer team is looking to rebound from a tough 2024-25 campaign.
Last year, the team finished 2-16-1 overall, but coach Jeremy Roberts said he is feeling positive about the new season.
“Despite being in one of the better 6A districts in the area and the season we had last year, I am optimistic about the upcoming season,” Roberts said. “We have a young team, but we have a lot of players who are eager to prove themselves at the varsity and high school level.”
Roberts will look to Mackenzie Davidson, Kimberly Grajales and Mia Gjonbalaj to lead the way this season.
To get things back on track, Roberts said he needs three things to happen.
“First and foremost, we have to stay healthy,” Roberts said. “We do not have much depth, and we cannot afford any major injuries. Second, we need players to continue their development and show that the moment isn’t too big for them. Last, a little bit of luck wouldn’t hurt.”
In Argyle, the Lady Eagles finished 11-1 in district competition and reached the regional finals in 2024-25, losing to the eventual state semi-finalist Grapevine in penalty kicks.
Coach Rikki Lucido said things are shaping up well for 2025-26.
“I feel great about the way things are coming together,” Lucido said. “We have a talented and experienced group returning, and the momentum from last season has carried over into our preparation. If we continue to build on what we established last year, I truly believe we have the potential to make another deep run.”
Lucido said she’ll rely on captains Hannah Lee (DBU) and Gracie Black to set the tone for the rest of the team this year.
“We have several key returners who played major roles in our success last year,” Lucido said. “Hannah Lee was district MVP and has earned a captain role this season, so we are expecting big things from her, and Gracie Black will be key to our defense.”
Lucido said both bring different things to the table, but together, they will be able to complete the team.
“Each of them brings something different—leadership, versatility and a strong competitive edge,” she said. “Their experience in high-pressure situations will be invaluable as we take on another challenging season.”
Argyle finished 18-3-1 overall last season, and to have another strong season, Lucido said it all starts with consistency.
“We have the skill, but it will come down to staying disciplined, playing for each other and maintaining our standard every match,” Lucido said. “If we stay healthy, keep our mindset strong and continue to trust the process, I’m confident this team can earn another playoff spot and compete at a high level.”
For Liberty Christian coach Jim Bragg, a 3-3-2 start to the 2025-26 season bodes well for a team that is dealing with adversity early on.
“We started the season with high expectations from the returning players and four strong freshmen,” Bragg said. “We thought we would have 14 solid players, but injuries and departures have left us with 11 through our first 8 games. We are getting better, but with no subs, sometimes we are playing with ten.”
Ashley Phillips, Emma Nelson and Liz Fouts (first-team all-district selection) make up the senior returners and are among the players to watch this year.
In order to make the postseason, LCS needs to focus on closing out games this season.
“To make the playoffs we need to win the close games that we lost last season,” Bragg said. “We were invited into the playoffs last but finished last in our district.”
The ladies at Byron Nelson finished last season with a 15-6-2 overall record for the season and a third place finish in the district standings.
The Lady Cats defeated Mansfield 4-1 in the bi-district round and then Odessa Permian 3-1 at area before losing to Flower Mound in the regional quarterfinals on penalty kicks.
Nelson finished 12-2-2 overall in district last season and returns all-district selection Soraya Hayes to help lead the way in 2025-26.
