It was not that long ago when it was typical for the Goose Creek High School girls soccer program to have season win totals in the low single digits. Victory celebrations were few and far between.
That’s not the case these days. The Lady Gators improved to 7-4-1 with a 2-0 win over crosstown rival Stratford Monday, March 25, in a Region 6-5A game on John Fulmer Field. They stand a good chance of cracking double digits as the spring rolls on and are in position to compete for a second-place finish in the region behind prohibitive favorite Wando.
This year’s roster shows a lot of senior leadership, too.
“One of the good things is we’ve been able to get a lot of girls into rec ball and club ball during the offseason,” said Goose Creek coach Chris Cooper. “If they’re not doing that, they’re running cross country, playing volleyball or playing sports year-round, which has helped them tremendously. We’ve had some developments and some additions. We have just one starter who didn’t start last year.”
With one more win in 2024, Cooper’s bunch will equal its win total from 2023, when it went 10-8 and made the playoffs. The progress is evident.
The Gators won five matches in 2022 and none in 2021.
“We’re looking at getting to at least 11 wins and finishing over .500,” Cooper said. “I think it’s pretty solid. We’ve had a couple of injuries throughout, but everybody seems to be back and playing.”
The Stratford win upped Goose Creek’s mark to 2-1 in the region. Junior Maya Gonzalez tallied both goals for Goose Creek, her ninth and 10th of the season. She joins senior Skylah Gregory (15 goals), junior Madelyn Huffman (12 goals) and senior Neveah Molei (11 goals) in double-digit scoring. Senior Kamily Santana isn’t far behind with eight goals.
Huffman, a returning all-region selection, leads the squad in assists. Sophomore Nadia Stark is the top goalkeeper and recorded the shutout against Stratford.
The two squads will meet again March 28 (after press time). After that, Goose Creek is off until traveling to Berkeley Tuesday, April 9, for another region game.
It will be a rematch of a game Goose Creek won 3-1 at home Friday, March 15.
Cooper’s team has momentum for a strong finish, winning four of its previous five contests.
“We’ve got several players who are super passionate about the sport,” Cooper said. “They even ref during their off-times at their soccer club. Their level of intensity is there, and it helps drive the level of intensity for the whole team. I always tell the girls it’s like stairs. We’re taking steps up to a new level. We’re trying to get to the second floor. We’re working those stairs right now.”
