Melissa High School’s soccer program is entering its third year in 2016, and the team is beginning to show in practices why they should be taken seriously this year.

In the past two years, the boys varsity placed third in district in their inaugural season, and ended in fourth place last year. Despite a relatively small program, the team could be a serious dark horse to achieve greater success this year. Coach Kelley Pitzer says “with the number of returners that we have, preseason is following the path which I want it to take, and the season looks bright.”

Goalkeeper Joshua Love, a junior, said “We are out there working from 5:30 until 8:30, but the work is definitely worth it, and I think that we will be competitive this year.” This shows great encouragement; the players are committed to the program, and they hope to perform better postseason than the past two years. Love went on to say “I hope that people come and support us despite the cold weather!”

The girls program has also experienced great success since it’s beginning, reaching the state tournament both years, but being knocked out in the first round last year against Abilene Wylie. Coach Manuel Avila says “preseason is going well, I see a lot of promise in the young, upcoming players. I think that the team is going to be really good this year as we have depth, a lot of depth.”

The team is full of stellar athletes, and with the number of freshman players acquired this year, there will be intense competition for who makes the team. Coach Avila has a very tricky, but exciting problem on his hands. Senior defender Abigail Minchey said “preseason is going great, I love all of the new players that we have, and I can’t wait for the season to come around so that I can step on the field with my team.”