Last year the Cedar Park soccer scene was not well followed, by students or otherwise. This led to the scores of both boys and girls soccer falling short on away games and remaining surprisingly high for our home games. However, this year things have changed. Both teams have seen an increase in fan support, which has resulted in a boost of confidence for CPHS soccer. The boys soccer team has been dominating one school after another: losing only two games so far and tying one. In recent games the boys have managed to outscore their opponents by exponential amounts, even forcing a few shut-outs. The threat of loss on the road still looms over the guys’ heads however, as the only two losses of this season have occurred on foreign turf.
This positive change for the team reflects not only improved fan attendance but also a significant change in the makeup and chemistry of the team.
“Everyone has improved as a whole from last year and we have a lot more men this year so the team has more depth,” Firas Isat, senior, said. “Last year’s hard season improved us as a team and now we gel better together.”
Other factors are working in the boys’ favor. In addition to better team chemistry, a brilliant 3-4-3 attacking formation has allowed the team to put points on the board. This formation allows the team to utilize their strong midfielders who can create plentiful scoring opportunities. The T-wolves’ well-rounded midfield has a knack for getting the ball up to the strikers for a goal.
The girls on the other hand have been playing hard and have improved on last year’s season, where they came in sixth in district. The team has won important victories over teams like Marble Falls, and has held opponents to close margins in other games. While they have lost two games so far in district play the team won their game against Vista Ridge March 8. This improvement comes as a result of the girls’ hard work and execution of a simple strategy.
“Our main strategy in the make-up of both strategy and team, is win. We don’t have any special names for anything, just win,” Jennifer Womack, girls soccer coach, said.
The girls finished their season second in district. However, the boys still have a few matches left. Their game against Vandegrift is March 11 and starts at 6 PM. They will be playing at home for the title of District Champs. If victorious they will proceed to play-offs so stay posted for more information. Until then be sure to join the soccer team’s small but intensely loyal fan base and cheer the boy’s and girl’s onto a district title.