Champs again, Spartans eye extended run
Postseason the next target for Seven Lakes
They have a new coach, but it’s the same Seven Lakes girls soccer team.
The Spartans clinched their second district title in three years last week under new coach Kaitlyn Eidson, who replaced Amy Davis, and now they’re pl a nning another deep push in the playoffs.
“The expectations are high for this program,” Eidson said. “They’ve been to the state tournament (2010, 2012), they’ve been to the regional finals the last two years, so we want to maintain those expectations.”
Cinco Ranch, which won the district and region last season, and Seven Lakes went undefeated, tying eachother twice.
But Cinco also tied Tompkins, leaving them two points behind the Spartans.
They finished 10-0-2 in District 19-6A, giving them a No. 1 seed for the postseason, too.
“They were very proud of themselves, and I was proud of them for doing it,” Eidson said. “It’s a goal that they had, and it’s a very competitive district, so we’re coming out of it feeling confident.”
Eidson graduated from Cinco Ranch, then played college soccer at SMU.
She was coaching at Lake Highlands when Davis stepped down, and she jumped at the opportunity to gohome.
“It’s a dream come true to be able to come back to Katy and do what I love, and not only within the game of soccer, but in the community that I grew up in, and be close to my family,” Eidson said.
Inheriting a program with a track record of great success is a bonus.
“I inherited a winning program with great tradition, so I came in hoping to build on what they had,” Eidson said. “Coach Davis did a fantastic job the last 10 years at Seven Lakes, so it was just fine-tuning … and bringing in my style of soccer, coming from some of the places I’ve learned from.”
Their greatest strength this season is eachother.
“We’re strong all around,” Eidson said. “We have strong leadership in the back, with our defenders and midfielders, and then also up top with our forwards. We have a senior captain at defender, a senior captain at midfielder and junior captain at forward, so we’re really strong all over the field.”
The result is a team that does whatever it takes to find the result they need.
“To win district, you’ve got to be able to … score goals, and our goal differential is very favorable,” Eidson said. “It’s about plus-30, which is something I’m proud of. And then we came up big in the big games, too. We got the shutouts we needed (six in district) and held Cinco to one goal (each meeting).”
The captains are seniors Sarah Gavin and Kaitlyn Wild and junior Morgan Proffitt.
Gavin, a defender, is strong in the air and quick-footed on the ground, where she’s also a reliable distributor.
“As a central defend- er, you’re the leader on the team from the back because you can see everybody in front of you,” Eidson said. “You can direct things. And it gives your team a lot of confidence when you can keep the ball out of the back of your net, and shut down the other team’s forwards.
“She provides comfort back there with her skill set.”
Wild is a key scorer and facilitator in the middle of the pitch.
“She’s in the midfield, so she can do her job defensively as well, but she’s very creative with the ball and she’s able to be aggres- sive going toward the other team’s back line,” Eidson said. “She also draws a lot of other players toward her, so she can open up some of our other attackers.”
Wild and Proffitt are the team’s leading goal scorers.
Freshman midfielder Nicole Cybul, a regular starter in her first year, and junior goalkeeper Bailey Dobbs also play key roles.
They’re expecting to open the playoffs with Chavez but won’t know any details until Monday.
Their last match, a 4-1 win over Morton Ranch, was March 11, and they’ll likely open the playoffs March 24 or 26, giving them two weeks between games, but Eidson said the spare time won’t slow them.
“Either you get district done before spring break, and then have the lay off before playoffs, or you have to play a game over spring break,” she said. “It’s a two-headed monster and there’s really no right answer to it.
“So we’ll take the hand we were dealt and make it work.”
Jason McDaniel is a freelance writer and can be reached at jasonrmcdaniel@outlook.com.