The women’s soccer team kicked off its spring season last week with a home opener against Navarro Junior College. The game took place on Monday, March 7 and ended in a 0-0 tie. The scoreless match was the result of a back-and-forth 90-minute battle between both teams.

Head coach Ryan Spence said he was pleased with the team’s effort on the field despite the lack of depth.

“For the circumstances, with injuries, I felt the team played pretty well. With no subs and playing a good junior college, the team stayed decently organized and fitness was good overall,” Spence said. “The girls could’ve easily just stopped because they felt tired in the last 30 minutes, but they kept trying to fight through the fatigue.”

Although the result was not satisfactory, Spence said he is concentrating more on the development and progress of the team.

“It’s all about individual growth within the overall team goal,” Spence said. “Running a different style can take longer than usual, but I feel the girls have done well adapting quickly.”

Assistant coach Sade Boswell said the focus of the spring season is geared toward learning rather than results.

“The spring season has been a time of development and learning, both mentally and physically,” Sade said. “We have tried to treat it as a time to build the foundation on how we would like the culture of the team to be for the program.”

The spring soccer season consists of five non-conference games which take place throughout the spring semester. The players train on the field four times a week with an additional three sessions in the athletic weight room. Aubrey Pettett (No. 29), nursing sophomore, said she has enjoyed the direction and mentality of the spring season.

“It’s been a lot of work but that’s the intent of the spring season,” Pettett said. “We want to win our games, but more importantly we want to be prepared for the season next fall.”

Senna Garcia (12), midfielder and chemistry sophomore, said she is taking the offseason to build up fitness, strength, and confidence.

“When we’re not playing every week, it gives us the opportunity to really work on the things we need like speed and tactics,” Garcia said. “Because we have a small roster this semester, we get closer as a team and learn to trust each other on and off the field.”

The women’s soccer team will continue their spring schedule on the road with a game against the University of North Texas Lady Eagles on March 28.