Lady Blues close historic season

A historic season for the Lady Blues came to a close after they fell 1-0 to the Godley Ladycats in the regional semifinal matchup.

The Lady Blues advanced farther than any soccer team in the history of the Graham soccer program, which began in 2017.

The Lady Blues defense remained strong throughout the game Friday, March 27 in Weatherford, battling a cold front with winds making things difficult on both sides of the field. 

With 14 minutes left in the first half, the Ladycats made a goal that would be the deciding factor in the playoff game. 
However, that was the last goal the opposing team would make, with the Lady Blues defense working overtime and the offense looking to make a drive for a goal. 

Head coach Casey Weil said he challenged his team to play with pride as they have all year, and that is something he said they accomplished.

“I thought that our girls battled hard, just like they always do. When you reach the final 16 teams in your classification nothing will be easy. Godley is a great team that played the game the right way,” Weil said. “I thought that the pace of the game was extremely fast and it is something that we can improve on. We had some chances to score and things just didn’t go our way on that given night.”

The head coach said the team has accomplished the goals they were tasked with and many athletes stepped into key roles for the team. 

“We have had great leadership from our seniors. It is a long and grueling season, I think that all of the players did a fantastic job,” Weil said. “There aren’t many teams that have the opportunity to say that they made history in their high school athletic career. I am extremely honored to be a part of a team that can be remembered as a history maker.”

Each year, the Lady Blues set a goal to win multiple playoff games and that goal was crushed this year with the team overcoming the defending state champion Canyon Randall Lady Raiders in bi-district and the Lubbock Cooper Liberty Lady Patriots in the area round.

“The soccer program at Graham High School is growing,” Weil said. “That is mostly because of the recent successes of our teams. We have built a tremendous foundation with soccer, as always the future goal is to grow and get better. Young players look at our team and say, I really want to be a part of Lady Blues soccer. This is what builds programs, success.”

Weil looked back on this season and said his favorite part of coaching the team was giving them the opportunity to be successful.

“We have talked to the girls all year about pride and why we play this game. If it is for yourself, great, (or) if it is for your team, a family member that is no longer with us, your high school, your coaches or your community. We played the game this year with tremendous pride, and I think that led to a little bit of our success,” he said.

Weil thanked the community of Graham and the supporters of the team who came out time and time again.

“The recent teams have changed the culture for Lady Blues soccer. This does not happen without support,” Weil said. “We truly are a family, from little kids, high school students-athletes, coaches, parents and community. It was amazing to see the support of the community.”

The head coach also thanked the parents who allowed him to coach this historic team and the seniors who helped make this success possible.

“You have changed a culture, which is not easy to do. You put Graham soccer on the map, not only in the Texoma area, but across the entire state of Texas,” he said. “I have had the distinct pleasure of watching you all grow into young adults. If you approach your life with the same mentality as you did this program, there is no way for you not to be successful. You are all champions and nobody can ever take that away from you.”