When you think of soccer at South High, chances are you first think of its nationally successful boys team. Countless people crowd Collin Stadium each spring to watch Coach Joe Maas and his incredibly talented team take the field, some completely unaware of what happened on the pitch just before the boys match.
The fact is, South has another team of soccer athletes who are willing to leave it all on the pitch on any given night and prove that soccer isn’t just for the guys.
Girls soccer at South is alive and well.
South senior Kimberly Puentes, one of the team’s wingers, believes the stigma surrounding South’s underappreciated girls team likely won’t change, and she isn’t particularly bothered by that.
“It’s not going to change. If anything, we’re focused on our own goals, just like the boys have theirs,” she said. She believes that won’t change “unless we win State.”
South junior Ashley Hernandez Estrada, team captain and midfielder, is equally focused on the team’s goals.
“Our big goal is definitely getting to state, but I think a main goal is to do better than we did last season and to grow and improve as a team,” she said.
Despite this stigma, the team is still motivated to work hard in the offseason to see results in the spring. Puentes said the team is currently working hard in anticipation of the upcoming season.
“Right now we’re lifting a lot of weights and doing technique and tactical work at another facility.” When asked what the team is doing for conditioning, her answer was simple: “A lot of running.”
However, Puentes said the team will not be without its challenges.
“Seeing if we can get the other girls onto our level, especially getting the freshmen to transition to our level of play, will be the biggest challenge to the team,” Puentes added.
Despite any possible adversity, the team remains positive. Hernandez reinforced this idea.
“I try to maintain a positive energy for the team despite the rough times we may go through,” she said. “Open communication with each other helps us handle those struggles.”
But the question remains: Why is attendance at South’s girls soccer games historically lower than at the boys games?
When asked why he doesn’t attend girls soccer games, sophomore Jaylin Rollins replied, “Wait, there’s girls soccer?”
Junior Brandon Ramos said he has attended only one girls game, “and it was just because I had a game right after it.”
South junior Miguel Martinez said that while he has never attended a girls soccer game at South because it conflicts with track practice, he will “definitely be supporting the girls team at the games in the spring.”
The season is set to kick off in March, but until then, preparations are underway for a successful 2026 season. Hopes are high, and the girls soccer team would love to see more students pack the stands come game days.
