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Starting six freshmen and just one senior sounds like an experiment for a team in rebuilding mode with unlikely playoff hopes. But for the 2022 Carroll girls soccer team, an abundance of young talent and some dangerous veterans proved the perfect mix for capturing a state championship.
Fielding six freshmen, three sophomores, a junior and a senior, the Lady Dragons (23-1-4) rolled to the 6A state title on April 16. The Lady Dragons performed beyond their years, especially on defense. Colvin started a back four of Abigail Mills and Parker Wilkerson (freshmen), as well as Kaylie Harris and Carly Walter (sophomores). Freshman Olivia Geller started 18 games as goalkeeper, giving up just four goals.
Their scoring ability proved just as impressive. Led by senior forward and four-year star Hanna Khan (18 goals, 8 assists, 73 shots) and freshman forward Kennedy Fuller (14 goals, 15 assists, 65 shots), Carroll outscored district opponents 53-5 to secure a spot in the playoffs.
Khan, the only freshman on Carroll’s 2019 state-winning team, closed out her high school career with a second title. She and the other five seniors helped set the example for the talented young roster.
“If I had to pinpoint one thing that was big in us winning a championship this year, it was the seniors being able to steer the ship the right way,” head coach Matt Colvin says.
SEASON RECAP
Shutouts and defensive dominance were the names of the game in the Carroll girls soccer team’s race to the 6A state championship. Looking tough all season, Carroll (23-1-4) ratcheted up the defensive intensity in the playoffs, giving up just one goal in seven games and outscoring postseason foes 26-1.
Carroll carried that momentum up until defeating Rockwall 4-0 in the state championship, giving the Lady Dragons their third overall title and second state trophy in four years.
“They just had that killer-instinct mentality,” head coach Matt Colvin says. “Once they smelled blood in the water, they were going after it.”
Once in the playoffs, a second-round contest with Wolfforth Frenship helped solidify the Lady Dragons’ momentum going forward. Facing a tough Frenship team and battling 50-mph wind gusts, Carroll held on for a 3-1 win.
“We had never dealt with those conditions, and [Frenship is] a very solid team,” Colvin says. “After we got over [that challenge], the confidence was at an all-time high for the year.”