Lady Hawks soccer preview
HARDIN VALLEY — Mackenzie Smith is hoping her senior year as a Hardin Valley Academy soccer player will be a good one.
Smith, a midfielder for the Lady Hawks, has seen the team struggle over the last two seasons. Now, she thinks new head coach Jessie Stephens can inject some life into the program, which hasn’t advanced out of the District 4-AAA tournament since making back-to-back Class AAA State Tournament appearances in 2014 and 2015.
“This year, with a new coach, I think we have a real chance,” Smith said. “Jess is coming in with a new culture. She’s changed the culture.
“The last two years, I feel like we’ve had the talent, but we just didn’t play well together.”
Hardin Valley, which went 12-6-1 in 2017, finished third in District 4-AAA last season and was eliminated in the district tournament semifinals.
Having installed a new system, Stephens said, “I think we’re just excited to get the season started. We know that it’s going to be hard. We know that it’s going to be a challenge.
“... My expectation is to compete as a top program on our side of the state,” she added.
Other top returners include Karly Livingston (junior, defender) and Kiana Lane (junior, forward/defender).
Other key players are Reagan Ely (senior forward), Katie Eggleston (senior, defender), Lauryn Smith (junior defender), Taylor Mauck (senior, goalkeeper) and Emily Whitley (a junior forward).
These players played for two seasons but opted to sit out in 2017.
Freshman midfielder Claire Playa also will enter the fray this season.
“We’re rock solid on defense,” Stephens said. “But I need to find that go-to girl who can put the ball into the back of the net consistently.”
