March 30, 2010

Wichita Falls High School already has a win over Midlothian this year, but the Lady Coyotes aren’t counting on any carryover from that cold January day.

The Lady Coyotes (18-2-3) are more concerned with continuing their recent level of play as they face the Lady Panthers (17-7-2) at 6 p.m. today at Justin Northwest in a Region I-4A girls soccer quarterfinal.

WFHS won that first meeting, 1-0, at the Cement Cup in Midlothian.

“It doesn’t guarantee anything,” Lady Coyotes junior goalkeeper Tori Shannon said. “Just because we beat them once doesn’t mean we’ll beat them again. We have to keep playing every game like a new one.”

“It’s good to know that we beat them and they are a beatable team, but it’s going to be two totally different teams,” WFHS junior forward Payton Fookes added. “When we played them, it was sleeting and freezing.”

A freeze isn’t likely tonight, but coach Rob Woodard believes it’s a given that his team will go all out. And he has good reason for belief after watching the Lady Coyotes fall behind 1-0 on Friday against Birdville and immediately responding with a goal by Sierra Anderson.

“The girls don’t stop until the final whistle,” Woodard said. “We got down a goal, and 30 seconds they came right back. That’s two games in a row. They never stop.”

Shannon, who splits time in goal with senior Breanna Wachsman, loves the fact that her team is always there and has her back, on and off the field. Just like she may save the day after a defensive miscue, she loves those quick-response goals.

“It was pretty nerve-wracking because they came up on us, but it’s good to know that we know how to come back,” Shannon said. “If we do something wrong, someone always picks us up. It makes me happy to know they have my back.”

Woodard said playing the Lady Panthers early in the season helped in preparation.

“They like to possess the ball,” he said. “They’ve got a great team, so it’s going to be a big challenge for us.”

The Lady Coyotes bounced back from finishing second in District 9-4A as they closed the season with a 0-0 tie with Rider.

“We had a team dinner, (then) we came out ready to practice because we knew that’s what it was going to take,” Fookes said of the team’s attitude going into the playoffs. “We need to do what we’ve been doing. We are doing really good. We’re so close, like a family. I think that helps. We all pump each other up and we’re not cliquish.”

Fookes started the playoffs off with a hat trick in a 5-1 win over Denton.

“That was fun, and I don’t even know how that happened,” Fookes said. “But it was great, I’m not going to lie.”

But the Lady Coyotes have some strength beyond Fookes and Kaitlin Foran, who each have 17 goals to lead the team. Four others have at least five goals and neither of the top guns scored in the 2-1 win over Birdville.

“We know that we can drop the ball back to our defense,” Fookes said. “Every player can be trusted with the ball. Every part of the field is pretty strong.”

The Lady Coyotes have a blend of all four classifications so the playoff experience is new to some of them, including junior defender Taylor Holden.

“It’s really overwhelming,” Holden said. “This year is amazing, and we truly believe we can beat any team.

“We’re confident. I mean we’re all nervous, but we’re not scared. We’re going to get on the field and play our best.”

Woodard expects exactly that.

“There’s just something about this team,” Woodard said. “This is the most relaxed team I’ve ever had in the playoffs.”

Tonight’s winner advances to the Region I-4A tournament in Wichita Falls on Friday and Saturday..