Stone Memorial Lady Panthers Girls Soccer Head Coach Madison Bond said she knew her second season would come with challenges due to a very young roster.
Out of 25 players on the Panthers team, only six are upperclassmen. Bond had to lean on the freshmen and sophomores to step up. Bond said the experience has pushed her to focus on building a foundation for the future.
“We’ve had a lot of individual players, even including some sophomores, step up and [become] ready to take that leadership role,” Bond said. “They truly have that winning mentality. They want to go out and have a positive attitude and get things done.”
The Lady Panthers showed grit in district play, losing by one goal to White County and going toe to toe with Lenoir City on the road. Despite losing both matches by one goal, Bond said she remains encouraged by how her team manages to overcome adversity.
“They’ve had a big pedestal ready to step on to,” Bond said. “But they’ve taken that and ran with it. They’ve done especially well for things asked of them, and they’re always ready to go and do what’s needed.”
Bond said her goal is to build a culture that keeps players in the program for years to come.
“Every day is an opportunity to come out and prove [ourselves] to come out and continue to battle and show everything we’ve been through and all the work that we’ve put in,” Bond said. “So it’s exciting to see what they do day in and day out.”
The Lady Panthers will enter their final month of the season with a 1-7 record.
