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Cannon Crompton/sports@cherokeescout.com Tri-County’s Allison Hernandez runs with the ball during practice last week.
Murphy – In just its second season back, the Tri-County Early College girls soccer team is looking ahead and aiming for success in the 2024 season.
The Cherokee Scout spoke with new head coach Chris Blanton on their preseason preparation and goals for the season.
Q: What are your goals for the season?
A: “Well, I have a lot of girls that are learning soccer for the first time. Tri-County Early College soccer left and came back again last year, so some girls have played with some experience and some girls have no experience. My goal is for the team to improve as the season goes on and continue to improve.”
Q: What will the team do to achieving those goals?
A: “We’re going to hopefully work really hard at practice. Our scrimmages, our jamboree [last weekend] should help them. We’ve got tough non-conference schedule with Summit [Charter] twice. So I’m opening that helps them learn from watching really skilled teams on how to play. I think that will really help them, but also working really hard at practice and continuing to get that experience. The only way they’re going to learn is experience.”
Q: How will the team improve from last season?
A: “I wasn’t the coach last year. I took this program over with the boys in the fall. Last year, I know they didn’t win a game, well that’s going to change this year and we’re hopefully going to win a couple games at least. Hopefully, we’ll win as many as possible. I don’t want to put a number on it, but we’ll win as many as possible.”
Q: Who are some standout players that readers should pay attention to?
A: “Hayden Cunningham, she’s a freshman, she’s got a huge leg and is extremely talented. She’s one of our better players and she’s a freshman, so I’m really excited to have her out there. Sophia Smith, I think she’s going to be a standout goal scorer. Jasmine Tran I think is going to be an excellent goal scorer. Emma Smith is a fantastic goaltender. A very good defensive player, Anna Lachance.
“It’s wide open because we haven’t played a game yet. I think some players will come up and surprise you. I’m also going to add Allison Hernandez. She actually scored a goal when we scrimmages the boys, so that was really good.”
Blanton said some of the games that stand out to him this season are preseason scrimmages against larger schools and conference games – especially against Murphy, since they share a home field with Tri-County.
The team’s first regular-season game is today, when Tri-County will travel to Summit Charter. Their first home game, which all home games will be at Murphy High School, is Monday, March 11, against the Bulldogs.
The team has prepared for the upcoming match against Summit.
“It’s a quick turnaround, so these scrimmages will hopefully get us prepared, and we’ll have Monday and Tuesday,” Blanton said.
“We’ll have a pretty intense practice on Monday, and an easy practice on Tuesday. Then it’s right at it going to Summit.”
Blanton added, “I want everybody to know that this is a really good, high-quality group of girls, and it’s really exciting to have the opportunity to coach them. They’re all high integrity, they all give me their best and I’m really excited to be their head coach.”