It’s Cold, Which Means It’s Time For Soccer

The task facing the Highland Park girls soccer program in 2015 will be similar to those of its counterparts in other sports — maintain the standard of excellence while transitioning to Class 6A.

The tradition certainly is there for the Lady Scots. They have won five state titles, most recently in 2012, and need only eight more wins to reach 600 in program history. HP would be the first school in Texas to achieve that milestone.

Both the HP girls and boys teams will start the season on Thursday when they host their annual tournament at Highlander Stadium. A complete schedule follows after the jump.

Last season, the Lady Scots advanced to the Class 4A Region II final, but were denied a repeat trip to the state tournament when they lost 1-0 to Wylie East. That defeat ended a 13-game winning streak that included a district title.

Still, HP should be well-positioned for the jump to Class 6A, where it will be in a district with the Richardson ISD and Mesquite ISD schools. The Lady Scots will start district play on Jan. 27 against North Mesquite.

On the boys side, HP will try to rebuild after missing the playoffs in its final year at the 4A level. But head coach Randall Allen is excited bout the challenge.

“The guys have really worked hard in the off-season,” Allen said. “I’m really excited about moving to 6A and seeing how we stack up.”

The Scots will return eight players, most of them starters, from a squad that struggled on offense and lost several games by one goal. Plus, HP won a district title at the junior varsity level.

“I think we were competitive with all the teams in our district,” Allen said. “Most of those games could have gone either way. I think we overall are probably a better team this year.”

 

TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE

(all games at Highlander Stadium)

THURSDAY’S GAMES

Highland Park vs. Red Oak (boys), 10 a.m.

Mansfield Lake Ridge vs. Sunset (boys), noon

Highland Park vs. Cedar Park (girls), 2 p.m.

Rockwall vs. Lake Travis (girls) 4 p.m.

ESD vs. Plano East (girls), 6 p.m.

FRIDAY’S GAMES

Rockwall vs. Plano East (girls), 10 a.m.

Red Oak vs. Mansfield Lake Ridge (boys), noon

Highland Park vs. Sunset (boys), 2 p.m.

Highland Park vs. Lake Travis (girls), 4 p.m.

ESD vs. Cedar Park (girls), 6 p.m.

SATURDAY’S GAMES

ESD vs. Lake Travis (girls), 10 a.m.

Rockwall vs. Cedar Park (girls), noon

Highland Park vs. Plano East (girls), 2 p.m.

Sunset vs. Red Oak (boys), 4 p.m.

Highland Park vs. Mansfield Lake Ridge (boys), 6 p.m.