The Pagosa Springs High School Lady Pirate soccer team is returning an experienced lineup this year with the hope of building off of last year’s success.
“We’re definitely going to lean on returning players to start, players that have that experience,” said coach Trevor Gian. “We’re hoping to build off of that, you know, continue to build the program that we’re looking for, and I feel like that’s going to be pretty good this year.”
This year’s team has 26 players right now, some of whom will see some time on junior varsity to gain experience, Gian explained.
Of the 26 players, six are seniors and nine are juniors.
With the start of the season just around the corner, the experienced players will be thrust into starting roles. Gian noted that there are still opportunities for newcomers to gain playing time, and he is still trying to figure out what his starting lineup will look like down the stretch.
The Lady Pirates will travel to Ignacio today, Thursday, March 12, for their first game of the season at 4 p.m..
Their first home game will be on Saturday, March 14, when Buena Vista comes to town for an 11 a.m. matchup at Golden Peaks Stadium.
Ahead of opening weekend, the girls are working on a myriad of skills and larger concepts.
Gian specifically noted that the Lady Pirates will be working on trying to slow the game down a bit, maintaining formation both on offense and defense, stringing passes together, being aggressive on and off the ball, and being selfish at times.
The laundry list of skills and concepts that girls are working on will shrink as the season progresses, emphasized Gian.
The Lady Pirates are coming into the season with a great team mentality, noted Gian.
“The vibe of the team has been huge, has been very impressive to me, very positive, very supportive, embracing each other,” Gian said. “And, to me, that’s a huge one to start out, especially with players at different levels. Coming in and building that positive culture has been great.”
On the field, Gian has been impressed with the aggressiveness of the team and the growth mindset they’ve all shown.
Gian also discussed the transition into spring sports, noting the Lady Pirates have only been able to practice for two weeks so far this season.
Therefore, the two games coming up this weekend will be a good litmus test and provide a jumping-off point for the team as they get deeper into the season, he noted.
“We’re looking forward to the season,” Gian said. “It seems like a great group of kids here and definitely excited to get on the field. Come out and support us on Saturday for a home game.”
Schedule
The following schedule was accurate as of press time, but is subject to change.
After this weekend, the Lady Pirates will have a game at Del Norte on March 30 at 4:30 p.m.
The Lady Pirates will then travel to Telluride for a game on April 2 at 4 p.m.
The Lady Pirates will then play two home games in a row next.
First, they’ll host Montezuma-Cortez on April 4 at 11 a.m. Then they’ll host Alamosa on April 9 at 4 p.m.
The next three games will be on the road.
On April 11, the Lady Pirates will travel to Lake County for a game at 1 p.m., then they’ll head to Bayfield on April 14 for a game at 4 p.m. and, finally, they’ll travel to Cortez on April 18 for a game at 11 a.m.
They’ll host Ignacio on April 23 at 4:30 p.m.
The following day, they’ll be back on the road for a game against Alamosa at 4 p.m.
On April 28, the Lady Pirates will have a home game against Bayfield starting at 4 p.m.
Then the team will then host Del Norte on April 30 at 4 p.m.
They’ll close out the regular season with a game at Fruita Monument on May 1 at 3 p.m.
jsellner@orourkemediagroup.com
>