Lady Texan Soccer hits the pitch

A new season with a new coach has begun for the Wimberley High School Lady Texan Soccer team.

The team has enjoyed success over the past few years as Brad Biggers coached their introductory seasons followed by Brinton Nute leading to playoff appearances including regional finals. Nute stepped away this year to pursue other endeavors.

Enter new coach Eric Nichols. Nichols has 24 years of education experience and coached varsity soccer at both Atascocita and Smithson Valley. The Nichols family moved out near Spring Branch in 2017.

“I love the small town feel. I’d always kept an eye out on Wimberley because it was one of those opportunities I knew I’d want to put in for if it ever came open,” Nichols said. “The team has been successful with Coach Nute and I want to follow that up with the goal of seeing the team to state.”

The Lady Texans enter this year heavy with senior leadership and heavy on underclassmen. Seniors Emily Thames and Claire Valentine signed letters of intent to play collegiate soccer with Angelo State and Angelina College respectively. Izzy Frank, Natalie Figueroa, Selah Jones and Maggie Leonard round out an experienced senior group while prolific scorer Izzy Franchione and Sydney Hendon are the only juniors in the talented crew.

“These young ladies have been with the team since most of them were freshmen. We’re taking them out of their comfort zone but they’re so coachable,” commented Nichols. “They bring invaluable leadership to the team and serve much like player-coaches.”

Sophomores on the roster include Haley Lopez, Ella Sandoval and Baylee Willis and a host of freshmen — Reagan Olmer, Chloe Row, Lilli Sandoval, Bailey Taylor, Jordin Donaldson, Olivia Hendon and Cameron Thames — each add depth and notable contributions to a quality squad.

“The work ethic is really good in practice, we’re always pushing each other. The underclassmen are so talented. The fact that they work hard and have the talent and the drive to be able to work as a team is awesome and excites me for the season,” Thames reflected.

The team played a couple of scrimmages, two preseason games and in the Alvarado Tournament prior to hosting the Lady Texan Tournament last week. Twelve teams participated in a showcase format with each team playing three matches. Wimberley faced Kipp Austin Collegiate on Thursday night, winning 10-0 before matching up with a formidable 5A opponent in Alamo Heights on Friday night. The Mules jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first half before Franchioni cashed in on a direct free kick at the 22:49 mark to bring the Lady Texans to within one.

“At the beginning, I think we were a little bit taken aback by the level of play but it was a really exciting game,” Natalie Figueroa said. “It challenged us a lot. It’s hard coming back from 2-0, but I think we did it really well. We played really hard and that’s good for us. I can’t wait for the rest of the season and what it holds. I’m very excited.”

The second half against Alamo Heights remained scoreless until Lilli Sandoval found an open Ella Sandoval who broke free and collected the tying goal at 52:40. From there, the Lady Texans played hard and stayed defensively sound with Valentine coming up big in net to preserve the tie.

Claire Valentine added perspective to a solid tournament performance.

“It was a really good bonding activity,” Valentine said. “We had a good challenge put up against us and it was overall a really good experience. We needed to be challenged for the whole team and leaders to spend time together. We got to discuss situations, strategies, techniques and what we need to focus on. It was a great chance for us to work on the little things.” Seguin was the final draw of the tournament, and the Lady Texans put on a scoring exhibition on their way to an 8-0 final. Coach Nichols considered the impact of the difficult matchup with Alamo Heights and the two tournaments they’ve played.

“Alamo Heights was the game we had penciled in all season long as a gauge of where we were going to be at this point in the season,” he said. “They’re a 5A perennial powerhouse and would test our resolve. Were we going to be able to focus, gather our thoughts, be disciplined and work on a way to get back into the game. They’ve shown no quit at all. It was just a complete team effort. They were exhausted after the game but if they were gonna get a taste of what it’s like in the playoffs, that was it. They’ve come out early and shown the tenacity that we want, a lot of heart and resolve. We’ll just keep building off of that from here on out.”

The Lady Texans played at home Tuesday against a strong Burnet team and are scheduled for a 6 p.m. start on Friday, Jan. 20, versus Gateway College Preparatory School in Georgetown. The following Tuesday, Jan. 24, the team plays San Marcos High School at 5:30 p.m.