The girls’ varsity soccer team has taken a turn for the better this season. After winning just one game a year ago, the team captured three victories in their opening tournament of the season.

“I think we are doing better for several reasons,” first year head coach Rocky Monk said. “There are new girls, that have come in, that are good players. The attitude with the girls is different and they are working harder. Last year some of them weren’t trying as hard as they could and I think that there is just a different energy with the girls and the way that they train and the effort that they are giving.”

Their recent games have already shown major improvement.

“We got second in the Azle tournament, but once we started playing, we should have and could have won,” Monk said. “We lost in the championship on a penalty kick on a call that went against us. We have already won more games and scored more goals than we did last year.”

The team seems to have an abundance of talent this year.

“The kids that have come back have a lot of talent,” Monk said. “There are also six freshmen that have joined varsity that can really help us out. Also, the kids that I can bring off the bench are good and there isn’t a drop-off. Even the junior varsity is stronger. Last year they didn’t score at all, but scored five in the round robin scrimmage and won two games.”

The girls are doing more than just making the winning goal.

“We have not only won our games, but we have even played really well,” Monk said. “The other coaches have come over and complimented how well we played. You can play games ugly, like just depending on one player. But the girls have played as a team and passed the ball to each other, and kept the ball up the field.”

The strategy this year has also changed.

“Last year it was more about counterattack, they spent a lot of time defending,” Monk said. “This year we are able to keep our forwards up and win the ball on the back, and switch the point of attack over. We are able to find opportunities instead of forcing them.”

While the team has experienced some early season success, they know there lies a huge challenge ahead.

“District is going to be tough, Guyer hardly lost any players and Byron Nelson is solid too,” Monk said. “But I think that we will continue to improve because we have a young group with a lot of talent, which will only grow from here. I think that we can make it to playoffs and that we have a strong chance of winning but it is going to be difficult and take a lot of work.”