Girls soccer will compete in playoffs on March 25 against Mckinney Boyd at Prosper Stadium at 7:30 p.m. After losing to Marcus in the third round of playoffs last year, the team is now preparing to advance to obtain the state title. 

“Last year, we faced Marcus [in the third round] and lost [because of] a penalty kick to them,” head coach Robert Vaughn said. “[The players] didn’t know what to expect last year. They have been through the fire and now they’re a lot more calm and prepared.”

After receiving their first loss of the season to Coppell on March 1, the Cowgirls moved into first place in district. Now, the Hawks are placed in third, trailing for second behind Marcus. One of the last district games, against Marcus on March 4, ended in a tie. Junior forward Taylor Cheatham believes the team can defeat Marcus next time in playoffs through confidence in themselves.

“We have to be consistent,” Cheatham said. “We are all trying to not let it get to our heads. Whenever we play Marcus, we tend to overthink a lot of things, and [that] messes with how we play.”

Coppell and Flower Mound are also opponents of the Hawks, with both having placed top ten in the state this season. Junior defender Eleanor Hays remains positive about playoffs despite the tough matchups. 

“Flower Mound and Coppell have always been really tough [games] for us,” Hays said. “If we can go out with the right mentality and high energy, we should be able to win.” 

Issues with COVID-19 and the flu have kept multiple players out at once, causing adjustment of the assigned starting players. Vaughn said this was one of the team’s biggest obstacles to overcome this season.

“When we played Coppell, we had several kids out [with] the flu,” Vaughn said. “It’s nerve-wracking. We just want to survive.”

 Nonetheless, the girls have pulled through with only one loss out of 12 games played. Cheatham said newfound trust in each other and a strengthened team bond have carried them through district, into playoffs and toward success.

“We’ve bumped heads as a group [before], and we’ve gotten over [that],” Cheatham said. “The fact that we’ve [now] come together and become a family [will] show in [the] playoffs.”