Ingrid Bonner

Meeting together on the field, the girls celebrate their victory after beating Liberty Hill in the first round of districts. They won 2-0, continuing their undefeated streak. “Playing soccer just takes all of your stress away, [and]
it’s a good mental break from school and family,” Pack said. “I go and I forget literally everything that’s going on because I’m only focused on soccer, so I continue to play because it’s a good outlet.”

The bright lights beam over the field, and the crowd cheers as goal after goal is scored. The team remains strong and focused, listening until  the sound of the final buzzer goes off. The girls race to hug each other, celebrating yet another successful win as they continue their district winning streak.

The girls soccer team has entered the second round of district with a 9-0 record. Currently the girls are first in districts and Koltz said they are looking to get a district title for the first time since 2022. The captains are seniors Brooke Pack, Meredith Koltz and Sofia Peters. 

“We’re feeling pretty good,” Koltz said.
”I think a lot of us are really excited to keep this streak going, [and the team] has a lot to win for.”

Over this year Pack said the girls have had a high stakes season with all members working for each other and working to prove themselves. In the previous season they finished 3rd in districts, and in the season before that, they finished second. According to the captains, this year it seems likely that they will get first with the record the team currently has.

“We just need to work on communication and staying locked in since we have had a long season so far,” Peters said. “[We] need to make sure we’re staying focused and finishing the second round of districts and staying undefeated.”

The girls practice most mornings at 6:00 a.m. They spend their time running through plays during the class period or watching films to be more prepared for their games.

“What keeps me focused is mostly [knowing] the girls and the underclassmen below me [are] watching me play.” Pack said. “I work for them and try to give them an example of what they want to be.”

In their district, the team faced opponents with strong past records that show their success. Koltz said teams like Rouse and Liberty Hill are very talented which makes them difficult to compete against.  

“Reminding ourselves of how good of a team we are [is important],’” Koltz said. “We go into a lot of games thinking, ‘this team is really good,’ but if we remind ourselves that we’re also the team that’s really good, I think we could be a lot better.”

Every member of the has been playing soccer for several years, so Pack said they understand the challenges they face not just physically but mentally as well.

“The mental toughness aspect [of soccer is difficult, as well as] having to run a lot,” Peters said. “Just being able to push yourself beyond what you think you can do [is difficult].”

Many things happen on the field–coaches yell, the crowd cheers, and teammates constantly repeat plays. Pack said it’s stressful, but they know that to win sometimes they have to come up with new ways to get into the box and score.

“It’s hard when you’re in the moment of the game and it’s stressful, but we gotta do what works best,” Pack said. “That’s when the captains come in. You have to calm the team down and try to get them [to] remember what we practiced.”

These girls have been playing together on the field for years, and they also spend time together doing bonding activities and dinners off the field to improve their team cohesion.

“We look at this team as more than just a program—we [are] a sisterhood,” Koltz said. “I think this team cares more about what’s happening off the field than it has before, so we are just all there for each other consistently, and we show up when we need to show up.