Avery Davis (7) and the Farmersville girls soccer team is in search of its first playoff berth in program history. Photo by Victor Tapia / C&S Media
By David Wolman
Last season’s run to the brink of the first playoff appearance in program history for the Farmersville girls soccer team came as a complete surprise to senior midfielder/forward Natalie Taylor.
Although the Lady Farmers were eliminated from postseason contention by Gainesville in a win-or-go-home game on the final day of the regular season, in which the winner of the match would earn the final playoff berth from District 11-4A, it was the best season in the program’s brief seven-year history.
Farmersville won eight matches, a single-season record, and won five district matches for its greatest number of victories in district play.
“It was fun,” Taylor said. “To see the growth from where we started last year to that very last game was fun for all of us. We just knew that we had to put our heads down and work and grind.”
Although Farmersville has a few holes to fill after it lost three seniors from last season’s team that earned selections on the all-District 11-4A team, the Lady Farmers, with five returning all-District 11-4A award winners, will look to contend for the district crown while attempting to earn their first-ever postseason berth.
Among those returners is Taylor. Taylor, a Texas A&M–Corpus Christi signee and last season’s District 11-4A Utility Player of the Year, is expected to again be a scoring threat after netting 20 goals and seven assists as a junior. She is already on pace to surpass those totals. Through the team’s first nine matches, Taylor has scored 13 goals, including six in an 8-0 rout of North Lamar last Friday.
“I wish that I had 10 or 20 of her,” head coach Rebecca Christ said. “She works her tail off and outworks everyone on the field. That’s what you want from your captain, your leader, out of everybody.”
Farmersville will also have a new head coach. Farmersville tabbed former McKinney head coach Christ as its new head coach earlier this year. Christ takes over for Krystal Mikeska, now the head coach at Royse City after coaching at Farmersville for three seasons. Christ served as an assistant coach under Mikeska last year.
Christ is also excited to have one of the district’s top midfielders, junior Syah Surles, back with the team. Surles was named last season’s Offensive Newcomer of the Year in District 11-4A and later became the first player in program history to earn a selection on the Texas Association of Soccer Coaches All-Region Team.
Surles is also a threat to score. She has five goals.
The Lady Farmers have also gotten goals this season from Aliah Coronado and Nallely DeLaCruz. Overall, Farmersville is expected to boast good depth at forward. Aracely Serna and Kadence Fisk have already logged significant playing minutes.
Christ said that Fisk is one of the team’s most improved players.
“I’ve moved her all over the field to where she can get in and use her speed and technical abilities,” Christ said. “She’s just a hustler. She works hard. She’s come all summer long to workouts and skill sessions to get to where she is now.”
Junior Aberlie Marsh and senior Kimberly Cuellar will anchor Farmersville’s efforts on defense. They’ll be joined by Alexa Patino. Patino, also a senior, moved back to play defense after an injury to senior Zoey Mann forced her to play goalkeeper last season. Mann is now healthy and again ready to lead the Lady Farmers’ efforts in net.
“Our team chemistry is so much better than it was last year,” Taylor said. “We’re now more a family than anything. I think that’s helped us with our chemistry and being able to move the ball around the field. We’ve focused a lot more this year on possession of the ball.”
0 Comments