Lady Canes Begin New Soccer Season
The 2021 season has been a learning experience so far for the Jasper County-Monticello High School varsity girls soccer team.
The Lady Canes began the new campaign on January 29 with an inter-squad scrimmage. The Purple team defeated the White team 4-0.
Once the regular season began, the Lady Canes have played GMC, Monroe Area and Social Circle. The Lady Canes fell to GMC 5-1 as Marlene Torres scored the team’s lone goal on an assist from Julia Proctor.
The ladies lost to both Monroe Area and Social Circle 10-0. One of the team’s goalies was injured against Monroe Area and in the Social Circle match the backup goalie was also injured when she took a soccer ball to the face resulting in a chipped tooth.
The team’s starting goalie, Katie Robinson, just missed basketball season and was set to join the soccer team this week.
Also competing for the varsity team will be Ashton Whitener, Aubrey Crowe, Becky Leigh Wilson, Betzsaida Martin, Carly Baker, Charleigh Dotson, Elyse Ewing, Maritza Martin, McKenzie Minter and Scout Behling.
“Our defense is starting to work well together and we have great potential in our offense,” said coach Angela Savage. “Many players are working overtime learning new positions and skills as they have to be prepared to go in at any time for any position. We will be playing many teams out of our region.”
The coach said players for some opponents have athletes with a lot more experience.
“Playing against these teams, win or lose, will only improve our athletes and their level of skill and abilities,” Savage said. “Although many of our players have years of experience, they have not competed at a higher level of play. Also, many of the freshman athletes have not played with the upper-class athletes. Team success will be achieved as they learn how to trust each other and establish their communication.”
Goals for the team this season are to improve team technical, tactical and physical skills, to improve team development and success, to focus on team first by putting the success of the team ahead of individual success and to defend their turf by winning our home games.
“It’s hard to say how we will do in this new region as all of the teams had the playing season cut short last year due to COVID,” Savage said.
It is still early in the 2021 soccer team but the Lady Canes coach said she thinks Lamar County might be the biggest threat in the region based on their past success.
COVID-19 continues to present an unknown element for the soccer program just as it does for all teams in all sports in the state.
“With the pandemic, many schools have faced shutdowns and quarantines,” Savage said. “Like the fall and winter sports teams, I think this spring season may be like no other as we never know when we have to reschedule or play with rearranged or revised rosters. You never know when your players will have to be quarantined or when another team’s best player or players may be out for COVID reasons. We go into every game looking for the win. The Lady Canes soccer team has potential to have one of their best seasons ever but we have a lot of work to do.”