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When you’re a member of the Crowley Lady Eagles, a team that has appeared in the playoffs the last 12 seasons, success is not asked for — it is expected.
And not just piddling success like showing up for a first round game to be quickly dispatched.
No, your definition of success had better include a trip to state.
When talking to Crowley’s three Texas Association of Soccer Coaches All-Region II team selections, senior midfielder Sarah Duvall and sophomores Lauren Doyal, a forward, and Brittany Zahirniak, a defender, it is clear from the tone of their voices and the word out of their mouth (a collective, elongated ‘no’ when asked if they were satisfied with their playoff run this season) that a trip to the region quarterfinals is not something to brag about.
But considering how hard the injury bug bit Crowley this season, head coach Mike King, in his 10th season as Crowley coach, was proud of how well his team played despite losing three key starters, goalkeeper Haley Paddack, midfielder Taylor Garcia and forward Makenzie Brown to season-ending knee injuries in the same week at the beginning of the district season.
“My personal goals weren’t reached, but what the team accomplished this year was more than I could have ever hoped for,” King said. “They could have easily shut it down and made excuses for why they couldn’t do it and they did the complete opposite, so I was extremely proud of them for that.”
“I don’t think we ever got down and gave up,” Duvall said. “From the minute we heard about it we were determined to make it work and to go out and practice and fill the positions that needed to be filled to make it just the same.”
Duvall’s contribution to that success was easy to spot on the stat sheet, placing fourth on the team with 11 goals and tied for first in assists with 12. This contribution also netted her a selection to the District 8-4A first team.
Duvall also was one of the leaders on the team, but her style of leadership is more by example.
“You kind of have to know me to know the whole story,” Duvall said. “There are two other seniors and they took the responsible role. I was mostly the leader on the field.”
Duvall will have another four years to lead a team on the field, as she will be playing for East Central University in Ada, Okla., in the fall on a scholarship. Duvall also received a walk-on offer from the University of North Texas and received a small taste of the increased level of competition she can expect to encounter at a Senior Showcase game held on the campus of Southwestern University in Georgetown.
“It’s easy to be good when you’ve always been one of the best on the field, but when there’s 22 really good players on the field it’s tough,” Duvall said.
Duvall was not pleased with her performance.
“I think I’m in for a rude awakening in Oklahoma next year,” Duvall said.
While Duvall will be moving on, Doyal and Zahirniak will have two more years to lead Crowley past the regional quarterfinals. The sophomores have already assumed leadership roles and are excited to continue Crowley’s playoff streak.
“We should go just as far, if not farther next season,” Zahirniak said. “We shouldn’t settle for anything less.”
Crowley made it to the region quarterfinals by defeating Waco Robinson in the first round 7-0 and District 12-4A champion Dallas Seagoville 2-0 in the second round before falling to Waco Midway, 2-1.
In 2007, Midway knocked out Crowley, 5-1.
“It’s great that we have a tradition of going to the playoffs, and I feel like it’s our job to keep the tradition going and making sure the people that come in underneath us can keep the team strong,” Doyal said.
Doyal led the team in goals with 15 and also contributed 11 assists. She was named the District 8-4A offensive most valuable player, but believes the area where she and the rest of the team improved the most was maturity.
“There were nine freshman [on varsity] when we started ... and we lost eight seniors the year before that, replaced with nine freshman,” Doyal said. “It was a difficult year.”
“What made it challenging was that all of those freshman had been around the program and knew the successes and had had some success themselves, so they came in a little full of themselves,” King said. “It was challenging at times, but a lot of it was just maturity. They’ve matured a lot, not just as people, but as players.”
Zahirniak, who is the third member of her family to play for Crowley, knew as well as anybody coming in the success Crowley has enjoyed, and she has made her contribution to that tradition the past two years.
This season, Zahirniak scored four goals, the most of any defender on the team, and was named the 8-4A defensive most valuable player.
In recognition of all of the success the Lady Eagles had this season, they were honored by FC Dallas of the MLS during their recent game against the Los Angeles Galaxy, the team of Landon Donovan and a recently acquired British player of moderate fame, David Beckham.
“It was awesome,” Zahirniak said. “The players were warming up so we didn’t get to talk to them, but the state finalists and runners-up were there too.”
Going into next year the Lady Eagles will lose only three players, and expectations, as always, will be sky-high.
“We just have to pick up for the slack we lost and hopefully get freshmen or have people on JV set up and fill up the roles,” Doyal said.
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