Leslie Clark Hines never expected her soccer team to be in the situation it is in now.
The Panthers lost nine starters from the area championship team a year ago. Hines brought to the team seven players who had never touched a football player. Of the team's 11 starting pitchers, seven are sophomores or younger, and four are junior high school students.
However, that did not stop Elmore County's winning streak.
Elmore County won the AHSAA Class 5A, Area 3 championship. The Panthers are currently 10-2, 7-0 in area play and have already won over Brew Baker Tech, Valley and Beauregard. They have one game left against Tallassee, whom they won 2-1 earlier this year.
“To say we're back-to-back area champions is honestly more of a shock than I'd like to admit,” Hines said. “That wasn't necessarily what we had in mind at the beginning of the year. We knew we had a chance to be successful and win, but we had no idea what the season was going to be like. We'd rather lose than lose. I thought we won more, but it was a great season. I don't feel proud is the right word for how I feel about them.”
It wasn't easy for the Panthers. Three of the seven area wins were decided by one goal, a big change from a year ago when Elmore County outscored eight opponents by 48 goals.
But the difference is that Hines didn't have to start from scratch like he did this year.
“It started with teaching the basics,” Hines said. “We had to go back to basics. We had to teach the girls how to rotate their legs correctly and how to kick the ball. Our experienced players worked with the newcomers. I think that really helped.”
One of the more experienced players is sophomore Christina Elmore.
Elmore is one of only two full-time starters returning this year and was an All-County player a year ago. She leads the team with 14 goals and has started to play at another level in recent weeks.
In the past five games, she has nine goals, including four against Valley. She has scored in six of the team's seven area games.
“Christina is a competitor,” Hines said. “She is quiet by nature, but on the field she is dynamic and gives 100%. She wants the ball to come to her and wants to score goals. At the same time, she is aggressive She's going to pass and play defense, which is a big benefit for the team. She has great legs and the girls trust her.”
Elmore and seventh-grader Cady Crews lead the team in goals, but most of Elmore County's success has been on defense.
Most of the defense is new, but captains Emily Shaw and Ally Hernandez are on the back line, conceding just 13 goals in 12 games. Curly Sides also returned to defense, and goaltender Ansley Caudle had five shutouts.
Elmore County has shut out three of its last four games.
“I call our defense the Iron Curtain,” Hines said. “For the ball to get to Ansley's goal, it has to pass through our defense, and it rarely does. They are our foundation. They keep the ball up front, and they are key to our success. He made a great contribution.”
