Charged up for a fresh season and a chance to take back the title.

The Bullitt East girls’ soccer team have begun their new 2021 season and after last year’s regional loss, they are ready to prove their dominance. 

A majority of the players this year are returning, but there are a few new faces that the team is welcoming in this year. There are many different key players on the team this year that will guide the team towards a successful season. The team is very excited to play a few select teams this season, namely their main rival.

Many of the faces on the girls’ soccer team are ones you may recognize from past seasons. “We’re pretty loaded with juniors on our team, and a lot of them played last year and they’re just there, they continue to get better, and they really help the team out and carry them,” senior Emma Egan said. Out of the 24 girls on the team, 10 of them are juniors this year, which makes for a lot of older teammates that are improving on their already built skills from previous years. “It’s just good to know what their talent is and what you have. And when you grew up with them for too long, knowing how to play together makes it a lot easier,” Klaire Hourigan, one of these 10 juniors, said. Chemistry between players on a team is a necessity on a good team, and it is one of the girls’ strongest aspects.

On the other hand, many of the girls on the team are excited about the new players that they recruited this year. “I like to see what new players can do and how they will contribute to the team and help to make the team better, and all of our new players haven’t made the team worse, so that’s good,” junior Sydney Hughes said. Among the new players this year, foreign exchange student and senior Sam Franken has joined the team for their upcoming season. “I think I’m going to get along with most of the girls. Yeah, they seem really nice so I think that’s gonna be fine,” Franken said.

While everyone on the team plays an important role in the flow of the game, there are some key players that are exemplary in what they do on the field. “For offense, definitely Emma Kate, she knows how to get to the net the quickest. Her balls are always perfect. Midfield Lilly Reid, Emma Egan, they can get the ball out to our forwards make it easier to score, and then defense Holly Higgs, she’s super fast and can get it up the field,” Hourigan said. 

The group as a whole benefits from key players like these that lead the team. “We all work well together. The whole team picture contributes too, but those are the key players that bring the team together as a whole, and that’s when we really play our best. said Hughes.

Besides the teams that some members are eager to easily beat, there are a few teams that the girls will need to put forth a bit of extra effort to win. One of these teams is Bullitt Central, who they lost to last season. “Sad to say, but we weren’t ready to play that game and I’m definitely ready to play them now and take another one back. We beat them again last year after we lost to them but I’m ready to hand it to him again.” Egan said. The team will play against Bullitt Central on Sept. 29.

Most importantly, however, the girls will need to work well together this season when they go against their biggest rival, Mercy. “We’ve had like a 16-year rivalry with them, because they’re the only thing that stands in our way of district and region because we’re about even with skill, but it’s all mental game with them.” junior Holly Higgs said. Last season, the team suffered heartbreaking defeats from them in both districts and regionals, and they were ultimately the reason that the girls did not advance to state last year. This year, they are planning to flip that around. “We just weren’t as experienced, but this year I think we’re coming back with a lot more and we’re gonna hit harder.” senior Emma Wright said. The team will first compete against Mercy on Sept. 27.