The Manhattan High School girls soccer team (2-1-1) has surged to a strong start this season.
The Lady Indians, on March 31, secured a 1-0 victory against Olathe North High School on the road.
“I feel like we’ve come out pretty strong,” sophomore Lauren Booe said. “We’ve gotten two wins, one on the road, that was big for us.”
The Lady Indians opened their season on March 24 with a hard-fought 1-1 draw against Seaman High School at home. Following the draw, Manhattan High destroyed rival Junction City 6-0 on March 26 The offensive attack was strong as they recorded a total of 64 shots that game, 34 of which were on goal. On the other hand, Junction City had zero shots in total, showing the defensive strength of the lady Indians.
“I think that we have good team chemistry,” Booe said.
The team’s only setback came on March 28 in a heartbreaking 1-0 loss to Blue Valley West High School. Despite the defeat, the Lady Indians remained competitive against one of the toughest opponents on their schedule.
“We’re returning pretty much everybody from last year. So I think everybody’s on the same page. We’re a pretty good, cohesive group right now,” head coach Mike Sanchez said. “Everybody understands how everybody wants to play. And I think training has been good so far. Hopefully the weather just holds off more solid.”
Last season, the Lady Indians’ started their first four games with a record of 2-2 and lost 2-0 to Olathe North last year, so beating them 1-0 this season shows the improvement achieved in the offseason.
“I think our main focus is probably staying united as a team, not getting down on each other, and just having fun,” Booe said.
The Lady Indians’ have been taking a lot of shots at the top of the 18 yard box. Especially in the Junction City game, they were not afraid to keep letting the shots rip from the top of the box.
As the season progresses, Manhattan High looks towards two home games versus Washburn on April 8 and Hays on April 11.
“I’m really pleased with how the ladies are playing,” Sanchez said. “I think they’re doing a great job playing as a team.”
