Sports > Schools
Best of the Best: A look back at District 8-5A girls soccer
By Justin Thomas and Kevin Hageland, Staff Writers
The past two years were a special time for the athletics wing of the Plano, Allen and Lewisville ISDs.
In joining forces under the District 8-5A umbrella, Plano East, Plano Senior, Plano West, Allen, Flower Mound, Flower Mound Marcus, Lewisville and Hebron combined for 28 UIL State Championships, many more state tournament or state meet appearances, a laundry list of all-state selections and an environment as competitive as any in the state.
As a way of paying homage to the past two years of district play, The Leader will be running a retrospective series highlighting five of the best games played within 8-5A for football, volleyball, boys basketball, girls basketball, girls soccer, boys soccer, baseball and softball.
The series continues with girls soccer, where LISD controlled the top of the standings but it was West that came away with a state championship.
"This district has gotten so much tougher over the years, even from when I played, and it was pretty tough then," said Carley Phillips, West head coach. "Every game was so tough, but that is part of what made it such a fun atmosphere too."
In a district where top 10 national rankings were the norm, draws, one-goal matches and back-and-forth shifts through the run of play were on display nearly every night.
"We feel like we could have been first or second in any other district in the state, but the past couple years our district has been so strong ... just so strong," said Kevin Albury, Allen head coach. "Little things always made the difference because you look back at a lot of these matches and they feel like they could have gone either way."
Here's a look back on the highlights (in chronological order) of the past two years.
Flower Mound Marcus defeats Plano West, 1-0
Feb. 8, 2011
When District 8-5A girls soccer competition got underway in February 2011, Plano West's squad entered play as the No. 1-ranked team in the country by ESPN Rise.
Marcus, meanwhile, was highly-rated in its own right and wanted to make a statement to then-undefeated and untied Lady Wolves early on.
The Lady Marauders did just that, blanking Plano West, 1-0, behind a goal from Rachel Lurvey in the first district contest of the season. Marcus would carry the momentum to a 4-0 start in district and its own No. 1 national ranking in the ESPN Rise poll. However, the Lady Wolves would exact revenge later in the season with a 3-0 victory.
The meeting set the stage for successful district campaigns from both teams, as the two clubs would split their four district meetings over a two-year span.
Hebron defeats Plano East, 4-1
March 8, 2011
The final score and fact that Hebron was at the top of the district standings while East was at the bottom wouldn't seem to lend itself to a memorable match.
But the venue played a part in making this one stand out.
"It was a fun match," said Eric Ramirez, Hebron head coach. "It fit right in with what we called 'Clark Beast.' We never played at Clark Stadium and it seemed like every time we played [at Clark East] something was going on."
After a pedestrian first half, Clark East became Clark Beast.
"The sprinklers came on during the match," said Dawn Crow, former East head coach. "It was one of the funniest things I have ever seen. It was like the Buffalo Wild Wings commercial; players were getting hit with water as they played, balls were getting stuck in the water. There were tons of laughs; it was greatness."
With the "Waterpark," as Crow dubbed it, in full effect, Hebron was able to get goals from Kelsey Gorney (two), Kate Reese and Ellen Starnes while East could only counter with a score from Rachel Cohenour.
That allowed the Hawks to continue their charge to the playoffs.
"Fortunately we were able to get a nice early lead and were feeling comfortable when the sprinklers came on," Ramirez said. "We were able to play through it and it was fun from there."
Hebron defeats Allen, 4-0
March 23, 2012
During the past two years, District 8-5A featured its fair share of dominating teams and explosive offenses.
But perhaps no player brought the firepower of Starnes.
The district's 2012 Forward of the Year showed why in a must-win game late in the season against Allen.
Starnes found the back of the net a district-high four times in the shutout, helping the Lady Hawks clinch a playoff spot ahead of the Lady Eagles.
"I don't know if I've ever seen anything else like that," Ramirez said. "I don't recall anyone scoring four times in a district game besides Ellen. And to do it in a must-win game, it was impressive."
So impressive that following the season, Allen's head coach helped Ramirez and Starnes with the game film for a highlight package.
"They didn't get the game recorded, so Eric asked me for some help," Albury said. "We record all our games, so it was pretty simple to cut a little highlight reel together, especially if it would help [Starnes] get some college offers. Because that's what we all do; of course it's a competitive environment, but it's also supportive and you want to help the other teams and the other girls in whatever way you can."
Starnes went on to earn the scholarship she desired (to Boston University), while the Lady Hawks qualified for the playoffs before slipping up against Southlake Carroll.
Plano West defeats Flower Mound, 3-1
April 10, 2012
Entering this regional quarterfinal playoff match, Flower Mound clearly had an advantage over West.
The Lady Jags held a 1-0-1 district record against the Lady Wolves, including a 2-0 victory less than three weeks prior that essentially clinched the 8-5A crown for Flower Mound.
"We had to watch them win district and that was hard for the girls," Phillips said.
It appeared as though Flower Mound's control over West would continue in the postseason as the Lady Jags held a 1-0 lead at the break thanks to a goal from Laurel DeSilvey.
The Lady Wolves responded with a vengeance in the second half.
West notched the equalizer just 46 seconds into the second half on a goal from Casie Ramsier. The Lady Wolves continued to pour on the pressure and shots on frame before a goal from Morgan Murphy and a second by Ramsier in the span of 33 seconds gave West a 3-1 lead.
"We got that first goal pretty early and then the confidence and momentum just kept building," Phillips said. "It was really exciting, but at the same time you have to keep your composure and stay focused on advancing."
West would win by the same margin, moving on to the Region I Tournament and eventually a Class 5A State Championship.
"That was such a huge game for us," Phillips said. "We had been playing pretty well, but I really feel like that was the turning point in our playoff run."
Plano West defeats Flower Mound Marcus, 3-2 (PK)
April 14, 2012
After splitting the regular season series for two years, West and Marcus traveled six hours for the rubber match and a trip to state.
Just as West fell behind Flower Mound four days earlier, Marcus took an early lead in this Region I Final. Marcus amassed a 2-0 first-half lead thanks to goals from Katelyn Mountjoy and Natalie Schmutz as well as the infamous Midland wind.
"The wind was huge in that match," Phillips said. "I gave the girls the option and they chose to go against the win in the first half. That's usually what you do because players feel like they can hold their ground in the first half and attack in the second half. And we had some chances in the first half, so we really weren't worried at halftime because we knew it was going to be a different game in the second half."
It was.
Taylor Barg and Karson Keogh tickled the twine in the second half to tie up the match, eventually forcing overtime and a shootout.
Both teams missed their first two penalty kicks.
"It was really tough because we missed our first shot, no our first two," Phillips said. "And then they missed their first two as well, so we had to shake it off because we knew we were back in it."
West's Logan Beal and Tori Gates converted on their ensuing PKs while Lady Wolves keeper Claire Wheatley batted away all Marcus attempts to give West a 2-0 shootout win and 3-2 victory.
"Claire is a great keeper," Phillips said. "She really stepped up and made some big saves for us in that game."
The final big save set off a massive celebration.
"It was an interesting moment because it almost felt like we had just won the state championship," Phillips said.
The Lady Wolves sealed that deal one week later.
In joining forces under the District 8-5A umbrella, Plano East, Plano Senior, Plano West, Allen, Flower Mound, Flower Mound Marcus, Lewisville and Hebron combined for 28 UIL State Championships, many more state tournament or state meet appearances, a laundry list of all-state selections and an environment as competitive as any in the state.
As a way of paying homage to the past two years of district play, The Leader will be running a retrospective series highlighting five of the best games played within 8-5A for football, volleyball, boys basketball, girls basketball, girls soccer, boys soccer, baseball and softball.
The series continues with girls soccer, where LISD controlled the top of the standings but it was West that came away with a state championship.
"This district has gotten so much tougher over the years, even from when I played, and it was pretty tough then," said Carley Phillips, West head coach. "Every game was so tough, but that is part of what made it such a fun atmosphere too."
In a district where top 10 national rankings were the norm, draws, one-goal matches and back-and-forth shifts through the run of play were on display nearly every night.
"We feel like we could have been first or second in any other district in the state, but the past couple years our district has been so strong ... just so strong," said Kevin Albury, Allen head coach. "Little things always made the difference because you look back at a lot of these matches and they feel like they could have gone either way."
Here's a look back on the highlights (in chronological order) of the past two years.
Flower Mound Marcus defeats Plano West, 1-0
Feb. 8, 2011
When District 8-5A girls soccer competition got underway in February 2011, Plano West's squad entered play as the No. 1-ranked team in the country by ESPN Rise.
Marcus, meanwhile, was highly-rated in its own right and wanted to make a statement to then-undefeated and untied Lady Wolves early on.
The Lady Marauders did just that, blanking Plano West, 1-0, behind a goal from Rachel Lurvey in the first district contest of the season. Marcus would carry the momentum to a 4-0 start in district and its own No. 1 national ranking in the ESPN Rise poll. However, the Lady Wolves would exact revenge later in the season with a 3-0 victory.
The meeting set the stage for successful district campaigns from both teams, as the two clubs would split their four district meetings over a two-year span.
Hebron defeats Plano East, 4-1
March 8, 2011
The final score and fact that Hebron was at the top of the district standings while East was at the bottom wouldn't seem to lend itself to a memorable match.
But the venue played a part in making this one stand out.
"It was a fun match," said Eric Ramirez, Hebron head coach. "It fit right in with what we called 'Clark Beast.' We never played at Clark Stadium and it seemed like every time we played [at Clark East] something was going on."
After a pedestrian first half, Clark East became Clark Beast.
"The sprinklers came on during the match," said Dawn Crow, former East head coach. "It was one of the funniest things I have ever seen. It was like the Buffalo Wild Wings commercial; players were getting hit with water as they played, balls were getting stuck in the water. There were tons of laughs; it was greatness."
With the "Waterpark," as Crow dubbed it, in full effect, Hebron was able to get goals from Kelsey Gorney (two), Kate Reese and Ellen Starnes while East could only counter with a score from Rachel Cohenour.
That allowed the Hawks to continue their charge to the playoffs.
"Fortunately we were able to get a nice early lead and were feeling comfortable when the sprinklers came on," Ramirez said. "We were able to play through it and it was fun from there."
Hebron defeats Allen, 4-0
March 23, 2012
During the past two years, District 8-5A featured its fair share of dominating teams and explosive offenses.
But perhaps no player brought the firepower of Starnes.
The district's 2012 Forward of the Year showed why in a must-win game late in the season against Allen.
Starnes found the back of the net a district-high four times in the shutout, helping the Lady Hawks clinch a playoff spot ahead of the Lady Eagles.
"I don't know if I've ever seen anything else like that," Ramirez said. "I don't recall anyone scoring four times in a district game besides Ellen. And to do it in a must-win game, it was impressive."
So impressive that following the season, Allen's head coach helped Ramirez and Starnes with the game film for a highlight package.
"They didn't get the game recorded, so Eric asked me for some help," Albury said. "We record all our games, so it was pretty simple to cut a little highlight reel together, especially if it would help [Starnes] get some college offers. Because that's what we all do; of course it's a competitive environment, but it's also supportive and you want to help the other teams and the other girls in whatever way you can."
Starnes went on to earn the scholarship she desired (to Boston University), while the Lady Hawks qualified for the playoffs before slipping up against Southlake Carroll.
Plano West defeats Flower Mound, 3-1
April 10, 2012
Entering this regional quarterfinal playoff match, Flower Mound clearly had an advantage over West.
The Lady Jags held a 1-0-1 district record against the Lady Wolves, including a 2-0 victory less than three weeks prior that essentially clinched the 8-5A crown for Flower Mound.
"We had to watch them win district and that was hard for the girls," Phillips said.
It appeared as though Flower Mound's control over West would continue in the postseason as the Lady Jags held a 1-0 lead at the break thanks to a goal from Laurel DeSilvey.
The Lady Wolves responded with a vengeance in the second half.
West notched the equalizer just 46 seconds into the second half on a goal from Casie Ramsier. The Lady Wolves continued to pour on the pressure and shots on frame before a goal from Morgan Murphy and a second by Ramsier in the span of 33 seconds gave West a 3-1 lead.
"We got that first goal pretty early and then the confidence and momentum just kept building," Phillips said. "It was really exciting, but at the same time you have to keep your composure and stay focused on advancing."
West would win by the same margin, moving on to the Region I Tournament and eventually a Class 5A State Championship.
"That was such a huge game for us," Phillips said. "We had been playing pretty well, but I really feel like that was the turning point in our playoff run."
Plano West defeats Flower Mound Marcus, 3-2 (PK)
April 14, 2012
After splitting the regular season series for two years, West and Marcus traveled six hours for the rubber match and a trip to state.
Just as West fell behind Flower Mound four days earlier, Marcus took an early lead in this Region I Final. Marcus amassed a 2-0 first-half lead thanks to goals from Katelyn Mountjoy and Natalie Schmutz as well as the infamous Midland wind.
"The wind was huge in that match," Phillips said. "I gave the girls the option and they chose to go against the win in the first half. That's usually what you do because players feel like they can hold their ground in the first half and attack in the second half. And we had some chances in the first half, so we really weren't worried at halftime because we knew it was going to be a different game in the second half."
It was.
Taylor Barg and Karson Keogh tickled the twine in the second half to tie up the match, eventually forcing overtime and a shootout.
Both teams missed their first two penalty kicks.
"It was really tough because we missed our first shot, no our first two," Phillips said. "And then they missed their first two as well, so we had to shake it off because we knew we were back in it."
West's Logan Beal and Tori Gates converted on their ensuing PKs while Lady Wolves keeper Claire Wheatley batted away all Marcus attempts to give West a 2-0 shootout win and 3-2 victory.
"Claire is a great keeper," Phillips said. "She really stepped up and made some big saves for us in that game."
The final big save set off a massive celebration.
"It was an interesting moment because it almost felt like we had just won the state championship," Phillips said.
The Lady Wolves sealed that deal one week later.
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