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Blending veteran leaders with young talent, the Lady Dragons soccer team received a boost from both ends of the spectrum. Stocked with 10 seniors — about half of which played on a Carroll team that captured the Class 6A state title two years ago — as well as a junior star and a freshman standout, the team proved capable of stepping up to the challenge throughout the season.
Head coach Matt Colvin calls his seniors the glue of the program. Defenders Morgan Quillen and Gabriella Jamall (committed to play at Alabama and Ouachita Baptist, respectively), were a big part of that, as was defender Berkley Higgins and midfielder Bella Buncher. All four served as senior captains.
Hanna Khan, the Lady Dragons’ lone junior captain, continued her role as an established playmaker, leading the team in assists (11) and shots on goal (44) and second in goals scored.
Freshman midfielder Kenzi Tufts made a splash as a varsity newcomer, leading Carroll in goals scored (12) and total points (30). Joined by two other freshmen and 13 sophomores, the program’s future looks bright.
“They came in and didn’t back down one time,” Colvin says.
SEASON RECAP
After a sluggish start in District 4-6A competition, the Carroll girls soccer team’s playoff hopes were nearly extinguished. But a strong finish down the stretch gave the Lady Dragons renewed life and opened the door to a postseason berth.
It was an experience Carroll missed in 2020, as play was halted late in district due to the pandemic. The Lady Dragons looked poised to make the playoffs then, but had to scratch and claw to the end this time around.
“It was down to the wire for us to make the playoffs. We had to win that last game,” says Carroll girls soccer coach Matt Colvin.
The Lady Dragons (11-6-6 overall, 5-3-4 in district) finished third in 4-6A after going 4-1-2 over its final seven games of the regular season.
Carroll won its first two playoff games in convincing fashion, defeating Fort Worth Paschal 3-0 in bi-district and Odessa Permian 5-0 in the area round. However, the Lady Dragons drew a familiar foe in the regional quarterfinals, falling 4-1 to district runner-up Eaton, a team Carroll lost to and tied with in district play. Colvin says he was pleased with how well his young team competed as the season progressed.