Rockmart Lady Jackets soccer season starts this week

After finishing their past season with room to improve, the Lady Jackets have been preparing for their upcoming games, with their first coming up on February 5 after press time.

Last season, the Rockmart girls soccer team finished third in the 7-AA region last year and advanced to the first round of state playoffs.

“We’re really excited about the season,” head coach James Schroeder said. “We have a strong group and I really think we are poised for something big.”

The players have been practicing and conditioning in the recent winter weather to prepare for their first game this week and get an early start on their goals for the season.

“We’ve been out here in the cold, running and working on fundamentals,” Schroeder said.

“We’re just trying to shake the rust off and get ready for the season,” he added. “It’s coming really soon.”

After a scrimmage game at Cedartown last week, the Lady Jackets are looking forward to their first game of the season against Coosa, which will also serve as their first 7-AA region match-up.

“We beat them twice last year,” Schroeder said.

Coosa competes in the same region as Rockmart, but isn’t Rockmart’s main focus. When asked about their top competition, Schroeder said “Model,” without hesitation.

“They have a really strong program,” he said.

Schroeder named his potential star players for this season to be Ashlyn Jay, Maddy Bozydai, and Andrea Ridgeway, who are all seniors. The team has a total of seven seniors who they will loose to graduation this May.

The Lady Jackets will play the Eagles at 7 p.m. at home tonight to start off their new season record.