The Grapevine girls reached the Class 5A state semifinals last season. Eyes will be squarely focused on the Mustangs this season to see if they can take the next step and add a UIL soccer championship to their trophy case.
Despite graduating eight seniors from the 2015 team, Grapevine still has plenty of talent and experience. Three freshmen played a lot last season on the way to 23 victories.
The biggest obstacle may be the expectations of getting back to the state tournament.
“Of course there’s always going to be a little bit of pressure from the school and families,” senior captain Michelle Kotlik said. “Everyone around us is expecting us to go back. But it fuels us as well because we know everyone is expecting us to get there, and we don’t want to let them down and want them to be proud of us.”
Coach Steve McBride knows one of his biggest challenges this year will be coaching the mental side of the game, and convincing everyone the season isn’t state title or bust.
“We definitely try to eliminate looking that far down the road,” he said. “We’re going to take every game one-by-one. It’s not state tournament or bust for us to have a quality season. There are a lot of quality teams out there and we know how hard it is to get to that final step. To put everything into one basket and say we’re either going to win a state championship or it’s going to be deemed an unsuccessful season would be cheating the kids.”
Not even a week into the season, players are already recognizing the need to keep the focus short-term.
“We all need to have the proper mindset,” senior captain McKae Duncan said. “We made it last year and we all didn’t think it would be this hard to make it back, but it’s obviously showing it is a much bigger obstacle than last year because everyone is looking at us. Everyone is looking at us and waiting to see what we do every game we play. Every game people come to play against us is going to be their best game.”
To help combat looking down the road, the team brings a green posterboard to each game reminding them of incremental goals. The Mustangs have broken the season into three parts — predistrict, district and postseason — and set specific goals for each.
“It’s to keep us to high standards,” said senior goalkeeper Katy Hutson, who also noted that last year’s experience will help them deal with any adversity this season.
“Nothing has really changed,” she said. “We’re not the same team, but we still have the same values and it helps that we know we can get there. It’s not just a joke anymore to get to state, but we know it’s possible. And that’s pretty valuable.”
Teams to watch
Birdville (22-6): Despite finishing third in District 6-5A last season, the Hawks made an impressive run to the regional final before falling to district nemesis Grapevine. As many as four freshmen could start this year and the district will again be top-heavy, so Birdville will be battle tested for the postseason.
Fort Worth Arlington Heights (13-5-1): After a run to the regional final in 2014, the Yellow Jackets were toppled in the area round last season. There’s talent and experience, but if Heights is to have success this season, it must remain healthy because the bench isn’t deep.
Joshua (16-3-5): The Owls have quietly put together a few successful seasons, including a trip to the regional quarterfinal a year ago, where they lost to Grapevine. Joshua is young, with seven freshmen and sophomores seeing regular minutes, so it could be a team to watch this season and beyond.
Kennedale (24-2-1): With several key pieces back from last year’s Class 4A state championship team, pressure will be on the Wildcats to repeat. Anything less than a district championship would be a disappointment, but Region I will prove tough to conquer for a second consecutive season.
Southlake Carroll (22-3-2): Always a contender, the Dragons have talent and depth. With a balanced roster of seasoned veterans and hungry underclassmen, Carroll is looking to return to the state tournament for the first time since 2013. The Dragons have been upended in the state quarterfinals the past two seasons.
Players to watch
Esmie Gonzales, Sr., Fort Worth South Hills: The state’s all-time career goal-scoring leader is back for her senior season and could take a run at the national mark. She entered the season 79 goals behind the record (286 by Erin Martin, Temple City, Calif.), and scored 75 times last season.
Emily Keoughan, Jr., Fort Worth Nolan Catholic: Versatility is one of the key aspects of Keoughan’s game. Often asked to play in the back line, she can also press into attack when needed. As a sophomore last year she scored 17 times and added 13 assists.
Romie Reyna, Sr., Fort Worth Arlington Heights: She won’t make the score sheet most nights, but her job is to keep other teams off it. A stalwart in the Yellow Jackets’ defense, Reyna can control the backline from the middle or lock onto the opponents’ main threat as a man-marker.
Sophie Smith, Soph., Grapevine: Burst onto the scene as a freshman, scoring 16 times with 14 assists for the state semifinalist Mustangs while earning District 6-5A MVP honors. With several key attackers graduating last May, expect an increased scoring output from Smith this season.
Allie Thornton, Sr., Kennedale: It will be hard for Thornton to top last season when she was MVP of the state tournament as the catalyst for the Wildcats’ UIL 4A championship. Lethal from any distance, she had 38 goals and 22 assists in 2015. Committed to SMU.
