Lady Panthers Tear It Up in Run-Up to District Play as They Look to Repeat as Champs
Who ‘dat?
It’s the Lady Panthers soccer team, which is picking up right where it left off last season – in high gear and firing on all cylinders.
            With a record of 6-2-1 against some of the best competition in the state, the Girls of Winter have proven that last year’s district championship was anything but a fluke. However, defense of that title begins Friday in a road contest against the always tough Weatherford Roos. Moreover, the Lady Panthers know that they’re going to get everyone’s best shot as district foes attempt to make their seasons by toppling Paschal.
            The girls should be well-prepared for the onslaught. After steamrolling Fossil Ridge and DeSoto in scrimmages, the Lady Panthers took first place in a tournament in Irving. The girls set the tone early by putting a blitzkrieg on Irving MacArthur 4-0 in the tourney opener, getting goals from four different players – Mary Bourland on an assist from Madeline Hamm; Rebekah Tovar on an assist from Hamm; Hamm on an assist from Emily Blake; and Micayla Brown on another Blake assist.
            The Lady Panthers next blew Irving Nimitz out of the water with a 7-0 victory. Megan Hannan picked up a hat trick, assisted on her three goals by Bourland, Mackenzie Campbell and Hamm. Brown added two goals, assisted by Blake and Hamm, respectively. Rounding out the scoring were Courtney Harris (Hamm) and Hamm (Ellen Parker).
            The title game, however, was anything but a laugher. The Panthers squared off against Frisco Wakeland, ranked #10 in the state in 4A. Brown got the Panthers an early lead on a feed from Hamm, but Frisco eventually tied. With the score knotted at 1 at the end of regulation, the teams settled the game with a shootout. Harris, Hamm and Bourland all scored for the Panthers, and Julia Hoffman was a wall in net to give the Panthers the win and the tourney title.
            Fresh off the Irving title, the Panthers opened the Lady Governor’s Cup at Georgetown High School’s spanking new turf stadium against a quick and aggressive team from The Woodlands that is ranked #2 in the state in 5A.
            The Woodlands showed discipline, accurate passing and powerful shot-making in the first half, scoring on a pair of upper-90 crossing shots to the back post that Paschal fans had to applaud.
            Still, Hamm, Brown and Campbell all took strong shots on goal, and Hoffman made a number of skillful saves to keep the score 0-2 at the half.
            Understanding what they needed to do to contain The Woodlands, the Panthers played with confidence the second half. And Lee Larson, playing her first varsity game in net, made numerous saves for an 0-2 final.
            The sun came out the next day, bringing a stubborn wind for game two against Round Rock Westwood, ranked #6 in Region II, on a grassy municipal field.
            The first half was a scoreless defensive battle, with Hoffman and the Round Rock goalie each making excellent stops.
            Playing with the wind at their backs in the second half, the Panthers kept pounding the goal, with Brown, Hamm, Bourland, Tovar and Blake taking shots on goal. One shot by Kathleen Krippel hit the bottom of the crossbar and appeared to many to bounce inside the goal line, but the goalie quickly smothered the ball and no goal was awarded. Meantime, Larson again played like a veteran, coming out to grab balls and take charge in second half net-minding duties.
            The Panthers weren’t satisfied with the resulting scoreless tie. Even though the team was down two players – Harris was ill Saturday morning, and Campbell pulled a groin muscle against The Woodlands – Paschal was hungry to go home with a victory.
            Playing against 4A Lake Travis, the Panthers faced another tall, athletic goalie but attacked from all over. Hannan, Bourland, Hamm and Brown al tried to find the first goal of the tournament. Meanwhile, Hoffman made at least a half dozen key saves, jumping and diving and denying a penalty kick.
            Paschal’s score came in the second half, when Hamm sent a powerful shot to the back post. The Lake Travis keeper batted the ball but could not secure it, and Brown came crashing in to punch the ball into the net.
            In the team’s final tune-up for district competition, the Lady Panthers squared off against Nolan Catholic School – ranked #15 in the nation and #6 in the state. Blake, assisted by Tovar, staked the Panthers to a 1-0 lead going into halftime. Nolan, however, was able to find the back of the net twice in the second half – a disappointing end, perhaps, but also a clear indication of what da’ girls can do.
            Of course, potential doesn’t win championships. It’s tempting in Panther Nation to look at the statistics and want to crown the Lady Panthers now. They’ve outscored opponents 24-6 with five shutouts.  But the girls know that their work has just begun. Indeed, the team’s early success is merely a clarion call for harder and harder work. Wearing a bull’s eye the size of a truck, the Lady Panthers enter district play Friday knowing that they’ll have to claw and scratch for every W. They appear to be up for the challenge. They’ve already competed against, and held their own with, the best in the state. And if they continue to work hard – and work together – that’s exactly what they can be at season’s end: the best in Texas.