The Pampa Lady Harvesters’ soccer team will have their first scrimmage on Saturday in what they hope will be a rebound after last year’s tough season.
“We won a couple of games [last season],” Head Coach Brennen McGinty said. “It was a down year for sure.”
McGinty is in his first year leading the Lady Harvesters after spending the last three years as the junior varsity coach—a familiarity that should make the transition in leadership go smoothly.
“A lot of the girls on the team have played for me on the JV team at one point or another, so I already have that familiarity with them,” McGinty said. “That’s a big plus. I’m excited to see the continued growth and to see how they rise to the occasion of having their backs against the wall. So far they seem like they want to attack it.”
As far as goals, McGinty just wants to see his squad be mentally tough and more competitive.
Returning on varsity and leading the charge toward those goals will be junior Yarely Villalobos.
“That’s a huge piece to return,” McGinty said. “Your goalkeeper is your last resort. She does an amazing job for us. She’s made some remarkable saves in the past that I still don’t know how she got her hands on those balls.”
Also returning will be junior Annette Luna, senior Zhalie Solis, and junior Aliyah Acosta.
“Everything runs through her (Aliyah),” McGinty said. “She’s got a really high soccer IQ. She understands the game and is probably her own biggest critic. She’s very hard on herself and wants to be successful and is every day trying to put in the work to reach the highest level of success she wants to be at.”
Some of the new faces on varsity include sophomore Valeria Garcia, who McGinty said probably could’ve been on varsity last year.
“She was a big member of my JV last year,” McGinty said. “She’s got a really high soccer IQ and has been working very hard to improve her conditioning, which is what kept her off varsity last year. She understands the game, she knows where the ball is supposed to go, she wins the ball, and she’s not scared of anything.”
Chloe Arrazolo will be joining varsity as well.
“She is a freshman and may already be the fastest on the team,” McGinty said. “Her footwork is impeccable. We scrimmaged the JV boys the other day and she scored against them. Her motor is insane.”
Juniors Carissa Leal and Michelle Barriga will also be returning to the varsity lineup.
“Carissa is one of my captains and has a high motor,” McGinty said. “That’s her biggest asset. She will run through a brick wall if you tell her to. That’s what won her her captainship. She’s going to do what she’s asked, no questions asked.
“Michelle is my center back. She’s very vocal and she understands the game a lot better than a lot of the others. She hustles her butt off. She’s learning quick and she is getting to where if she makes a mistake, she doesn’t make the same mistake twice.”
The Lady Harvesters’ soccer district is made up of Canyon, Randall, West Plains, Dumas, Hereford, Borger and Perryton.
Soccer uses a point system similar to the World Cup for its playoff system.
The winning team receives three points, one point for a tie, and no points for a loss. The team with the most points at the end of district play wins the District Championship.
The Lady Harvesters’ non-district schedule is made up of Andrews, Wichita Falls-Legacy and Graham, among others. The biggest test will likely be Palo Duro.
“They’re (Palo Duro) a very solid squad,” McGinty said. “They play very fast and they switch the ball over the field. That’ll be very good for us, as a first real game, to see if we are as technically sound as we think we are.”
Andrews finished similarly to the Lady Harvesters last year and will show whether or not Pampa is taking a step forward.
“Playing someone similar to us record-wise (like Andrews) will be good for them to get some confidence,” McGinty said.
As for the Lady Harvesters’ district soccer schedule, there is not an easy out in their district.
“Randall only lost a couple of players off their championship team,” McGinty said. “West Plains lost a couple of pieces. They’ll be bringing up some players from a solid JV squad last year. Borger may have lost an important piece, but they return one of the best goal scorers in the district. They are well-coached and aggressive.
“Dumas lost some really good pieces. Perryton lost a lot. Hereford returns the best player in the district. She can take over a game.”
Canyon also lost a couple of players, but McGinty said they will always be competitive in the district.
The Harvesters’ first scrimmage will be at Lubbock-Estacado on Dec. 13. The closest Pampa will be soon is at Dick Bivins Stadium in Amarillo when they play Palo Duro on Dec. 30. Their first home game will be on Tuesday, Jan. 27 against West Plains.
McGinty is proud of the girls and how they have handled themselves this offseason.
“I’ve been extremely proud of the intensity they’ve approached the season with,” McGinty said. “It shows a lot of mental toughness to attack a season with the intensity they have when they didn’t get the results they thought they should have in years past.”