Girls soccer will play an away game against Coppell at 3 p.m on Saturday. Head coach Bobby Vaughn said the game had to be postponed by one day because most of Coppell’s team was quarantined.

This will be a district game, ultimately determining which teams go to playoffs. Each school in the eight-team district play each other twice, and the four teams with the best record go to the playoffs.

“This is an extremely important game for us,” forward senior Matilda Torres said. “Coppell has always been a good team, especially in the past. They have new players and every year the teams get better. It’s really important that we win this game to make it to the playoffs.”

Vaughn said Coppell is talented and returned a lot of experienced players from last year’s team. They are currently ranked 15 in the state, while Hebron is ranked 95. 

“It’s definitely going to be a challenging game,” forward sophomore Taylor Cheatham said. “I know that in the past years Coppell has been a pretty strong team. I think it’s going to be a fun game and a challenge overall, which will be good for us and our growth.” 

In the preseason, five varsity players and four junior varsity players were quarantined for two weeks. Currently, no one is out on varsity.

“Anytime a player is out it affects the team,” Vaughn said. “It’s like missing a part of your family. When one player is out, we all feel it.”

The team has made adjustments to changes like new players, a new coach and COVID-19 restrictions. They have been trying to get used to these modifications, and Vaughn said he believes they’re headed in a positive direction.

“We’ve definitely had our ups and downs,” Cheatham said. “I think as a team we’re definitely growing and trying to get used to each other. As the season goes on, we’re just going to keep getting better.”

Torres said the team needs to focus on playing together. She thinks unified playing will be one of the biggest challenges on Saturday because Coppell plays well together.

“We have lots of talented players,” Torres said. “But sometimes it’s just hard to have a good dynamic with all of the girls because we’re all so different, we come from different teams and coaching styles.” 

Torres said they have speed on their side against Coppell, along with a strong defense that holds their own. She said she is unsure how the score is going to go because the teams in the district are competitive. 

“Every single team has been a challenge, but I think [the game is] going to go well,” Torres said. “We’re going to play our hearts out for sure. I think we’re definitely capable of winning, it just depends if we give it our all.”