Lincoln County Girls Soccer Opened The Season With High Quality Opponents

Expectations for the Lincoln County Girls Soccer Season remains high despite being shutout in five of its first six games, as well as holding a record of 1-4-1. In fact, the four losses were all against teams ranked in the Top 26 of the State Rankings, and the Lady Panthers are still ranked 55th in the State. In addition, the team also has a positive Strength of Schedule (2.2 SOS - Max Preps). Although it might appear to be a rough start to the season, the long term rewards of a tough schedule will be a benefit to this team and the future. Regular season games matter for your overall record, but mean very little once sections/regionals begin following the regular season. Therefore, the tough schedule will benefit the girls team when it matters most, and that is in the post-season.

The team opened the season on the road against #26 Sissonville and was surprised by an 8-0 loss. In Game 2, they responded well with a 5-1 victory over #68 Scott. In Game 3, they traveled to #22 Winfield and suffered a 6-0 loss, and then tied #48 Ripley 0-0. Finally, they lost 8-0 to #8 Nitro. All of those top teams have a few things in common, and they include a good distance program and an abundance of multi-sport athletes. In addition, these will be the teams we may see at some point in the post-season. Over the next four games, the Lady Panthers will play teams ranked 50th and below, and eight of the next nine games will be against teams ranked 40th and below. (Herbert Hoover #5). Consequently, they will have a good opportunity to get some wins and inch closer to .500 or better as the season progresses.