Lady Dragons pouring in the offense
Matt Colvin is in his 14th season running Carroll’s girls soccer program, and he may have his most prolific offensive team in history. It may be better than the teams that won the state championship in 2008 and played in the 2002 and 2013 state tournament.
Led by sophomore sensation Grace Cory’s 15 goals and Danielle Dennis’ 11, the Lady Dragons have averaged about four goals game. Carroll (14-2-2, 5-1-1 in District 7-6A) was in second place behind undefeated Coppell as this busy week began thanks to the wintry weather. Carroll played Richland at the Birdville Fine Arts and Athletics Complex Monday, played host to Euless Trinity Tuesday and play at Colleyville Heritage on Friday.
“Going into the season, there really were not a lot of questions for us,” Colvin said. “We had to replace three starters in the back line. But we spent a majority of the fall running players in and out and coming up with a rotation.”
What Colvin did was go for leadership. He went with seniors Kylie McBride and Meredith Havens. That seems to have shored up the concerns as Carroll has surrendered only six goals. It also hasn’t hurt that senior keeper Jamie Phelps is a presence in the net contributing to the stinginess.
“We now have some experience in those important positions and Jamie has given us exactly what we need,” Colvin said. “Kylie knows what’s expected because she played in the 2013 state championship game against Plano West. I feel really good where we’re at right now at this point of the season.”
About the offense
Cory and Dennis enjoy the top two scoring numbers but there is a wealth of support. Juniors Allie Luna and Ally Gardner have each scored nine goals. Then there are a couple of other players with five goals in Mary Meehan and Brittany Martin.
While the goals are the end result, Carroll is constantly applying the pressure. This team has delivered 339 shots on goal. That’s an average of nearly 19 shots per game and a shot once every four minutes.
“A couple of girls have come right to the top and just contributed right away,” Colvin said. “Grace, Danielle (and) Allie just understand how to move the ball and make good decisions when they’re taking good shots. They’re very talented and know what they’re doing.”
But there have been times where this team has lost a little bit of its fire. In the 1-0 loss to Coppell, Colvin said there was about 25-minute lull. That wound up costing the Lady Dragons.
“The style of play is good and the speed is all good,” he said. “They’re about where I expected them to be. But there are times when we’re missing a little bite. We have to fix that.”
Region I dominance
When the girls Class 6A Region I playoffs begin later this month, there are going to be some really good teams that will not advance very far. This region is really deep with the likes of the state’s two past champions in Hebron and Plano West along with Carroll, Coppell, Allen and McKnney Boyd.
“Really, it’s going to come down to who gets hot and who is healthy,” Colvin said. “Every playoff game will have some great matchups.”
This story was originally published March 2, 2015 at 3:47 PM with the headline "Lady Dragons pouring in the offense."