The Lady Bear Soccer team is starting to lace up their cleats, strap on their shin guards, and prepare for district play. With hard work and dedication, the team hopes to rise to the the top and have a little fun along the way.

So far, the girls boast a 8-1-2 record and will start district play later this week when they face the Bridge City Lady Cardinals at Battlin’ Bear Stadium. The Lady Bears went undefeated at the Brenham tournament in January and later went on to get three wins and a tie at the PNG tournament. This year’s team stands out to head coach Cammie Palmer in that they are hardworking, supportive of each other, and really work together as a team.

“[My goal this season is] to be cohesive and play well, and for the hard work to pay off,” Palmer said.

It is rare for a freshman to get the honor of being on the Varsity soccer team, but Avery Holland is one of those lucky people. Holland’s devotion to soccer started with her brother’s soccer coach allowing her to kick the soccer ball around during his practice. After that, she said she never stopped playing. Eight years later, she feels that one of the hardest things about playing soccer is the decision making, but her main goal for this season is to gain more experience about making tough decisions on the spot.

“It has been an amazing experience,” Holland said of her first year on varsity. “The team this year is great. We’re all fast and we all work as hard as we can to get the best results. To have such a large group put so much work into something stands out to me. I’m constantly learning and not only about soccer.”

Sophomore Kayla Nichols said that team spirit and working together are major parts of having a strong team. Nichols said her goals this season are to make it to playoffs and to be on the first all-district team. Nichols was also named the MVP at the Port Neches-Groves tournament last month.

According to senior Megan Brzezinski, one of the most challenging parts about playing soccer can be the physical aspect of the game.

“After playing tough games on a Tuesday and having to go to school on Wednesday all bruised and sore is not fun,” she said.

However, the team has had plenty of highlights this season to keep them going through even the toughest days, such as when they defeated Hardin-Jefferson earlier in the season – a feat they had never accomplished before.

Junior Kourtney Baldwin said one main goal she has for this season is to score more than 30 goals to beat her record from last year. She would also like to make first team all-district again. According to Baldwin, everyone on her team is very friendly and kind to one another and that helps with communication on the field.

“Everyone on our team has a unique personality that adds to the team,” Baldwin said. “You have to be very patient and be willing to go out of your way for others. We put others before ourselves and always encourage each other.”