DIXON \u2013 The question was posed to both girls\u2019 soccer coaches.<\/p>\n
But Jacksonville\u2019s Amanda Pelch and Dixon\u2019s Josh King offered different responses after being asked what they see from their teams going forward following Tuesday\u2019s scoreless draw between the Cardinals and Bulldogs.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur girls knew this was going to be a fight for 80 minutes, so I am proud of their toughness,\u201d King said. \u201cWe have a few freshmen and sophomores who are starting and getting a lot of minutes, but our leaders lead by example and they play tough, and the others follow them.\u201d<\/p>\n
Then it was Pelch\u2019s turn to address her team\u2019s identity this spring.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe don\u2019t know yet,\u201d she said. \u201cThey are coming together nicely. All six of our seniors are awesome, fabulous, and goofy sometimes, but they know when it\u2019s time to get to work. We will take the lead of the seniors and see where they take us as continue to build.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jacksonville and Dixon were the area\u2019s two strongest squads last season as they combined to go 36-8-3 overall and 22-0 in conference play.<\/p>\n
The Bulldogs went 19-3-1 and won the Coastal Conference title for the second time in three seasons before they fell 1-0 in extra time in the East Regional final to eventual state champion Western Alamance.<\/p>\n
Conversely, Jacksonville followed its 2024 state championship season last year by going 17-5-2 and winning the Big Carolina Conference title for its ninth consecutive league crown before falling in penalty kicks to Western Alamance in the third round.<\/p>\n
Both the Cardinals and Bulldogs returned six seniors they hope will help them contend for state championships this season.<\/p>\n
\u201cEveryone has stepped up, and I am proud of our class,\u201d Jacksonville senior defender Caidy Nelson said. \u201cWe did lose a lot of girls and there are a lot of new faces on the team, but we are all talented players and we work well together. It\u2019s the first couple of games and we just need to keep getting to know each other.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dixon senior goalkeeper Avah Burns agreed the key is experienced and inexperienced players getting on the same page.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe start of the season is always slow and that is to be expected,\u201d she said. \u201cA lot of us have played together since freshman year, but with us getting new girls every year, it\u2019s hard to get going. It\u2019s just the key things that we need to stay on top of. We can\u2019t let the silly things get us.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Bulldogs opened the season Feb. 25 with a 3-0 defeat at Topsail \u2013 although Dixon was not at full strength. Last year, the Bulldogs started 0-2-1 before winning 19 straight.<\/p>\n
Joining Burns as key returning players from last year are seniors; midfielder Alexa Cole, forward Emma Davis and defender Tiana Greene, juniors; midfielder Lily Getman and defenders Lizzie Capps, Jordan Burns and Dayna Sumner along sophomore forward Brianna Weiss.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think our remaining core of girls from last year show they can fight and that we can play with anybody,\u201d King said. \u201cAll the things we need to work on are fixable things.\u201d<\/p>\n
Avah Burns didn\u2019t mind disclosing those areas in need of improvement.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne thing that really stood out to me was our first touches,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd we need to connect passes better, and there was no communication.\u201d<\/p>\n
Pelch also looks for improvement from the Cardinals, who opened with a 3-0 win over Richlands on Feb. 25.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe need to clean up our touch passing and on our throughballs in the middle,\u201d she said. \u201cSometimes we try to overthink things and do too much instead of finding the easy ball or easy shot. Sometimes we want to make it look pretty, but I\u2019m Ok winning ugly.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut it will come. We have a lot of freshmen playing and some gaps to fill, but it is a learning experience.\u201d<\/p>\n
Pelch added that an early strength is Jacksonville\u2019s backline of Nelson, senior Carley Coxe and freshmen Serenity Singleton and Josephina Nunu and junior goalkeeper Hailey Dufore.<\/p>\n
They complement an attack that features senior forwards Sienna Corless and Ryder Perry, senior midfielders Riley Morrow and Ava Stephens and junior forward Caroline Doyle.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur back line is some kind of fierce,\u201d Pelch said. \u201cWe have all the faith in the world in our backs. Then we can build off the back and the middle.\u201d<\/p>\n