Lantrip told me in December he thought Mollie Tolbert would be able to help out but he did not think she would lead the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex in scoring with 33 goals. Lantrip also knew Ariel Marroquin was going to contribute as well but did not know she would lead DFW in assists.
"To have two young ladies near the top of the DFW scoring chart, have several young ladies play strong defense and to have several freshman play key roles led to all of the success this season," Lantrip said.
One of the freshmen who came of age was goalie Kendall Whitfield. She saw action in the pre-season to give UT-Tyler signee Alex Strange a break and the freshman gained invaluable experience.
When Strange went down with a separated shoulder Feb. 22 at Mesquite Poteet, Whitefield was thrust into the starring role. The freshman did anything but disappoint.
She had five straight saves in a shootout victory over Kaufman on March 8 and never looked back. She was brilliant in Tuesday's area round playoff loss to Rockwall.
The lone goal surrendered was a double-overtime penalty kick that went off her outstretched fingertips into the goal.
Losing 12 seniors off a talented squad from 2010, most people thought the Lady Tigers would take a step back in 2011. They did anything but that as they finished with a 16-8-1 record, good enough for third place in district and a playoff berth against Rockwall.
The future is indeed bright with so many underclassmen coming back but the work of seniors Malissa Beasley, Susie Williams and Strange cannot be overlooked as well.
"Anyone who was at the game on Tuesday night saw a bunch of young ladies from THS play their hearts out and all the fans should be proud of them and they represented their school with pride," Lantrip said.
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