Despite a challenging stretch against some of the GIAA’s top competition, the Gatewood girls soccer team remains focused on growth and peaking at the right time as the fastly postseason approaches.
Head coach Tracy Harper acknowledged the ups and downs her team has faced in recent weeks, pointing to a demanding slate of opponents that has tested the Gators’ resilience.
“It’s been a tough season. We’ve played some really strong opponents,” Harper said. “We’re just having a hard time kind of finishing it out. That’s not to take anything away from these girls— these are some of the best teams in the state.”
Gatewood showed flashes of its potential during the stretch, bouncing back from two losses to Westminster Christian and Trinity Christian before picking up two wins against Covenant Christian and Augusta Prep. However, the Gators fell to Mount de Sales Academy earlier this week, which was a setback.
Even so, Harper believes the experience gained from those matches could pay dividends down the line.
“I always say you play better teams to make you better,” she said. “It’s fun to win the easy games, but at the end of the day, the only way you’re going to get better is by playing better opponents. I do think that has helped us.”
The schedule itself wasn’t entirely by design. Harper explained that without a boys team this season, finding opponents willing to schedule standalone girls matches proved difficult, ultimately leading to a tougher-than-expected lineup.
Still, the Gators are embracing the challenge, even if the results haven’t always reflected their effort.
“It’s been hard on our egos, getting beaten from time to time,” Harper said. “But somewhere in the long run, I feel like it has helped us. We just have to keep looking forward and know it’s going to work out for us.”
With senior night looming on Friday and playoff positioning still to be determined, Harper’s message to her team is simple: stay focused and block out distractions that come with the end of the school year.
“It’s a tough time of the year,” she said. “You’ve got seniors ready for graduation and prom, so it’s just kind of keeping everybody on track. I’ve got a great group of girls, a really talented group. We just have to stay focused, put everything in the past, and focus on senior night and the playoffs.”
Defensively, Gatewood has leaned heavily on Natalie Sills and Riley Justice, who have anchored the back line against high-powered offenses.
“They’ve just been playing tremendous ball,” Harper said. “They’re solid back there for me, playing full 80-minute games. I can always depend on them.”
On the offensive side, Kim Mendez, Kathy Mendez, and Lily Piper have provided a spark. Piper, in particular, has emerged as a key playmaker on the wing.
“She serves up some great balls and just makes things happen for us,” Harper said.
As the postseason nears, Gatewood’s battle-tested lineup could prove to be an asset. While the road hasn’t been easy, the Gators believe the lessons learned against elite competition have them prepared for what’s ahead.