Colleyville Heritage boys soccer looks to be strong on offense

The Colleyville Heritage boys soccer team could be a lot more dynamic offensively this season than it has been in years past.

The Panthers are coming off of a strong season in 2014-2015 in which it made the postseason under coach Adam Phillips, winning most of its games by one or two goals apiece.

Phillips said that he has most of last year’s team in tact from last season and said based on early practices and scrimmages, his team looks ready to roll.

“I think things are going well,” Phillips said. “This year, we’ve really focused on getting the physical side of our game down in terms of conditioning in the preseason. The players really worked hard in that aspect. I feel like the players have really gone the extra mile to prepare themselves in training.”

The Panthers return six starters from last season, and Phillips said he did not want to single out any individual that he thought was going to have an exceptionally strong season, because he thinks most of his players will.

Look for Jonathan Martin, Connor Cole, and Holden and Layton Lyons to be among the stronger players for the Panthers this season.

Colleyville Heritage will compete in the Allen Showcase beginning Thursday, and Phillips said that he anticipates it to be a great learning experience and discovery process for his team.

“With the showcase, we are just trying to look at what is our best set up,” Phillips said. “We want to see what is the best formation to use. We have kind of changed stuff this year. We are more of an attacking team this year, and we are looking to fine tune some stuff, and see who can perform at a high level.”

Phillips said he probably only has four true defenders on this year’s team, but a lot of returning talent.

“We have a lot of players who can really play on the attacking side of the ball,” Phillips said.

In order to have a successful season, Phillips said it will take a couple things.

“We will have to keep improving,” Phillips said. “I’m sure we will have to grind out a few games. The boys make it easy for me as a coach because they are all well-behaved. They want to learn; they want to perform well, and they have a lot of pride in their game. As long as I do my part, I think things will go well.”

This story was originally published January 4, 2016 at 5:45 PM with the headline "Colleyville Heritage boys soccer looks to be strong on offense."