Young Mustang soccer team still learning in big wins

Although the Manitou Springs girls soccer team is looking good early in the year, this young roster still has plenty of opportunities to learn and grow.

The Mustangs went to Mesa Ridge on March 19 and came away with a 9-0 win, but as they circled up postgame, it felt less like they had kicked in nine goals and more like someone had kicked their dogs.

At least for a couple minutes.

After taking a quick 5-0 lead in the first half, the Mustangs (2-0 overall) got a little complacent defensively in the second half’s opening minutes. They played like a team that understood that a win was a foregone conclusion and really just started going through the motions for the final 40 minutes.

“A lot of them, I haven’t coached before,” coach Ben Mack said. 

“We have a fair amount of freshmen and some who have come up from JV. I think they’re figuring out who we are and what I expect as a coach. And those things can be tricky when you’re in a game and you’re up by (nine) goals. My philosophy is that it’s disrespectful to a team to not always give them your best.”

The best for the Mustangs was certainly on display early. Kara Donegan, Brooklynn Sheffield and Elisa Karr were among those who netted first-half scores.

Ellie Bourgeois and Brenna Coté added goals before the night was over, capping a diverse attack for the Mustangs. 

Donegan completed a hat trick, while Sheffield and Bourgeois each scored two goals.

Sheffield even logged some time as the keeper for a few minutes, as Mack moved regular keeper Nici Sharon into a forward position. The coach decided if he was going to give his netminder a chance to score this season, being up 5-0 in the closing minutes of the first half was a good time to do it.

We’re becoming a lot closer as a team. – Brooklynn Sheffield

“Nici’s our goalkeeper and that is what it is, so we figured we’d have some fun with it,” Mack said. “She wanted to get a goal, so we figured we’d give her eight minutes or so. That’s just something fun that we do.”

With just two games under their belts, it’s too early to say that the Mustangs are on track to see the level of success the program has had in recent years, but this is a team that has truly embraced each other and savors the task of being competitive.

“Even with this being just the second game and we’ve had a week (since the last one), we’ve all just come together and we’re becoming a lot closer as a team,” Sheffield said. 

“Last year we were pretty spread out with seniors and freshmen but with how young we all are, we’re really coming together.”

The Mustangs won’t return to the field until April 2, when they host rival St. Mary’s. For now, they’ll rest through spring break with a 2-0 record and 13 goals so far.