Marble Falls girls soccer loses to Austin KIPP
CAPTION: Ruby Carrillo (left) is congratulated for scoring the first goal against Austin KIPP by freshman Fernanda Perez (center) and sophomore Hannah Welch, who earned the assist. Staff photo by Jennifer Fierro
The Marble Falls High School girls soccer team lost to Austin KIPP 3-2 Jan. 13.
The Lady Mustangs took a 1-0 lead in the first half thanks to a goal by junior Ruby Carrillo who was assisted by sophomore Hannah Welch.
But the Cardinals scored three goals in the second half.
Welch added a goal thanks to an assist by freshman Jill Cole.
New head coach Marissa Miller is mixing the lineup in an effort to find the best starting group for the team.
“It’s really finding the right format,” she said. “We’re still moving some people around, and we’re still seeing the right fit.”
The team features seven returners: sophomores Suzena Perez Angel, Madison Hardaway and Katie Terrell and juniors Ashley Ferreira, Dulce Macias Garcia, Ava McNamara and Welch. In all, the varsity has 19 players that includes five freshmen and no seniors.
“We have a very young team and a lot of new faces,” Miller said. “We are building and growing together. They’re working hard and getting better every day getting ready for district.”
One big adjustment, particularly for the freshmen, is speed of the varsity game.
“It’s always real interesting to see how they react to that,” Miller said. “They’re having to adjust to more powerful shots. Jill is in the back, and she takes care of all of our kiddos. She plays defense for us. She’s learning a whole new role for the team.”
Miller, who is entering her 11th year as a coach, takes over for Abigail Blunt, who resigned at the end of last year to accept a job at New Braunfels Long Creek High School, the newest campus that’s part of New Braunfels Independent School District.
Miller, who is a Houston Elkins graduate, was coming to the Austin area and applied for the job. She played the sport “since I was a kid” and competed for the Eclipse Select SC growing up.
“I love the small-town feel,” she said. “This community has a strong community pride, and I was excited to be apart of that. I enjoy teaching kids and sharing my passion for the sport.”
The Lady Mustangs are preparing compete in District 26-4A that includes Bandera, Comal Canyon Lake, Comal Davenport, Fredericksburg and Wimberley.
“It’s going to be tough,” the coach said. “There are three highly ranked teams in our district. It’ll be a good learning experience for us. Pre-(district) games are a good way for us to learn so we can compete.”
Marble Falls travels to Brownwood Friday, Jan. 17, with the junior varsity playing at 4 p.m and the varsity at 5:30 p.m.
