Stewart Johnson
DPS Girls Soccer
With the early departure of two sensational sophomores in Kennedy Fuller and Zoe Matthews, who combined for 77 goals and 52 assists in 2023, head coach Matt Colvin was expecting this year’s Lady Dragons to focus more on defense. However, the scoring didn’t stop as this year’s squad produced 164 goals in 26 games (6.31 average), which was comparable to last year’s offensive juggernaut that produced 190 goals in 30 games (6.33 per game).
The result was an impressive team that didn’t appear to miss a beat, as the Lady Dragons (24-1-1) compiled an undefeated record in the regular season before falling in a shootout to eventual state champs Prosper in the fourth round of the UIL Class 6A playoffs.
“I thought we were going to be a real lock-down, defensive-type team, but as we made our way through the offseason, some kids really stepped up and showed some real good ability on the ball,” says Colvin, who has guided Carroll to three state titles in his 24 seasons at Southlake Carroll. “It was just going to be interesting [to see] who was going to step up in the offensive third and score goals.”
While Fuller (55 goals, 26 assists in 2023) graduated early and signed a professional contract with NWSL team Angels FC, her sister Kamdyn kept the family name in the scoring sheets. The sophomore midfielder took the offensive lead this season, pacing Carroll with 41 goals and 24 assists to earn district Offensive MVP honors.
Kamdyn was joined by other veteran midfielders including junior Hannah Jordan (29 goals, 29 assists, Midfield MVP in district), senior Kenzi Tufts (17 goals, 11 assists, Utility MVP) and freshman Audrey Anderson (15 goals, 15 assists, Midfield Newcomer of the Year).
“Having question marks of, ‘who's going to do this and who's going to do that’... it always seems like we have kids that come in and are able to fulfill those roles,” Colvin says.
Before realizing this team’s scoring punch, Colvin felt very confident in his team’s defensive capabilities thanks to the solid play of Abby Mills. The senior and Notre Dame commit provided solid play, garnering Defensive MVP honors in district. Defenders Lexi Khan and Kaylie Harris were named first-team All-District, as was senior goalkeeper Kat Dalton, who registered 11 shutouts and a 0.62 goals per game average.
Coasting through the first three playoff rounds, the Lady Dragons faced Prosper minus a couple of players due to club contests, then received a red card and played nearly 30 minutes down a player. Tied 1-1 after overtime, Carroll lost 5-4 in the shootout round.
“Going through all of preseason and district with just a tie… that's a pretty awesome thing because the game doesn't always treat you the right way,” Colvin says. “To get four games away from having [a completely] undefeated season, that's a pretty awesome accomplishment.”
As reported on May 16, 2024.