After the first two scrimmages were cancelled due to rain, the Pride women’s soccer team is set to have its first regular season game Thursday March 3 against Panther Creek.
The Panther Creek women’s soccer players are no strangers to the Pride. Last year, the Catamounts shut down the Pride 2-0 in the third round of state playoffs and went on to win the NCHSAA (North Carolina High School Athletic Association) championship.
“The loss from Panther Creek has motivated us to work harder this season. We have a young team but I think we are stronger this year and have more depth on our bench. Every player brings something different to our team and it will be a good test to take on the defending state champions in our first real game,” said Brenna O’Brien, a senior on the team.
This year the Pride welcomes many new faces. Besides the four returning seniors (Brenna O’Brien, Shannon Hardy, Kayla Jensen and Madison Hoffmann), the squad is relatively young. With a team of twenty two, over half of the spots are filled by underclassmen players. Five freshmen have been added to the roster this season–Brenna Murray, Malina Pardo, Hannah Arostegui, Mackenzie Gower and Lily Peden.
“I think the youngness of our team gives us a leg up on others. The freshmen this year are bringing good soccer experience and they are motivated to prove themselves so they work hard and make practice more focused,” said Shannon Hardy, a senior on the team.
To track the Pride’s progress this season, follow @LRHS_wsoccer on Twitter for game results and news on the team.
