With youthful energy, Colleyville Heritage girls’ soccer team aims to make a deep playoff run
All members of the Colleyville Heritage girls’ soccer program wear a wristband with three words imprinted: Attitude, effort and unity.
Head coach Monte Pace wants his team to remember the program’s core values to reach their full potential. It’s a reminder that Colleyville Heritage girls soccer will need to make a deep playoff run, given the team’s youth.
The Texas high school girls’ soccer bi-district round begins on Thursday, March 20. Colleyville Heritage (12-1-1), ranked No. 23 by the Texas Girls’ Coaches Association, owns the top District 6-5A spot into the Class 5A division 1 bracket.
The Panthers’ captains consist of sophomore midfielder Emerson Andries, sophomore midfielder Brielle McDaniel and junior defender Landry Warren. Heritage’s top goal scorers are sophomores Addison Shimmick and Ashlyn Bringedahl.
The Panthers are far younger than most top teams in Texas, but they have more leadership and experience than it seems.
Every week, the Panthers have a leadership team meeting, where team captains learn what makes a great leader. Pace asks about thoughts, feelings and the game plan.
“I think giving them a voice helps them to really buy in and be successful,” Pace said. “And it’s been good seeing a lot of growth, and it is important to happen because we are such a young team.”
For this year’s young team, off-the-field learning is just as important as playing on the field. One of Pace’s priorities is developing leaders and helping athletes apply what they learn.
Although young, the Panthers still have top-notch experience from some of the largest club soccer stages in Texas. Many were a part of the 2024 team that appeared in the Class 5A state championship; the Panthers lost 3-2 to Frisco Wakeland.
“(Losing at state) sucks, but I think it helped us go into this year with more fight,” Warren said. “We want it more, but at the same time, we want to enjoy it and make better choices and decisions than we did last year.”
Key performers from last year’s state title run include sophomores Shimmick and Bringedahl. It’s extremely rare for freshmen to receive state title game experience in crucial roles, and they’ve used it to help shoulder the pressure and responsibility as star underclassmen.
Shimmick said having a key role in a state championship game as a freshman was a lot to handle, but that it sparked her growth.
“I was learning to take those leadership roles, even though I’m so young,” Shimmick said. “I think it really helped. And I think that last year we just needed somebody to step up, and I think this year we have that.”
Pace said the experience taught Shimmick and Bringedahl what it takes to win at the highest level.
“They saw how we did stuff,” Pace said. “We had some really good senior leaders last year, some that were playing and some that were in a substitute role, but they were all older kids who were more mature, and they kind of took those freshmen under their wing and lifted them up.”
The Panthers lost five seniors — all moved on to play soccer at the collegiate level. Although Colleyville Heritage has proven talent, it’s been a tough task to replace the highly productive 2024 senior class. At the beginning of the season, Pace saw great potential but knew key roles needed to be solidified.
Throughout the season, younger players have had to learn to become vocal leaders.
“When we first started with the sophomores as captains, they were very quiet,” Pace said. “They didn’t say a whole lot, and we tried to really encourage them. They had to be more vocal. They had to express what they needed. And the team had to learn to listen.”
The Panthers have made some progress. At times, however, they’ve been inconsistent. The season has been full of ups and downs.
“When you have a young team and you have new faces, sometimes there’s going to be inconsistency,” Pace said. “And so, we’ll have a good five-game stretch, and then we’ll have a little dip and just don’t play quite as well.”
To make a deep playoff run, the Panthers are focused on consistent play. To do that, they’ll need to focus on complete team efforts.
“If we could bring our absolute best every game, I know we have the talent to do well and to go far,” Pace said.
The Panthers have showcased an ability to thrive in all three phases of the game, which makes their ceiling incredibly high. The midfield can control the tempo, and the defense has allowed just eight goals in the season.
“We definitely still have the talent to make a deep run, just like we did last year,” Pace said. “But there’s a long way between here and there. We have to go out and just one game at a time, play the best that we can, respect every opponent that we come up against, and find a way to win. That’s what the playoffs are all about.”
To Andries and McDaniel, the Panthers’ chemistry and work ethic stand out, and they’ll lean on it to succeed in upcoming playoff games.
“We definitely want to make it to state,” Andries said. “But we’re just gonna have to continue to win our games and just put our best foot forward every day.”
Despite having top talent and confidence, the team is still young, and they act like it. They bring a youthful energy, which Pace says is a “Breath of fresh air.”
“Sometimes they’re still young, silly, goofy kids, and that’s part of the fun,” Pace said. “Part of coaching them is they’re fun to be around, and they don’t always take everything seriously.”
Showing goofiness, however, doesn’t mean the team isn’t fully focused on winning. Bringedahl knows the Panthers will have to push each other toward greatness; the road ahead in Class 5A Division 1 will be challenging.
Considering the loss of five experienced seniors, Bringedahl said the upcoming playoff run will be harder than last year but still hopes to achieve her ultimate goal of winning a state championship.
“My goal for this team is to hopefully get our revenge in state finals and finish with gold this time,” Bringedahl said. “I feel like we can make it. We can make it if we just work hard and push each other and support each other.“
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