SPORTS
Sports Team of the Month Plant City Lancers 2005 Girls BY TARYN STORTER | PHOTOS BY LAMONT AIKEN AND JAMES JONES
with the coaches and how they work with the players. “They’re really just awesome,” he shared. “They allowed Michelle to learn everything about soccer and taught her the positions and techniques. They have done such a great job preparing her and the other girls for this year. I am so happy with what they have done for Michelle.” Team members include Skylee Jones, Sherry Anauo, Sophia Santos, Jasmin Molina, Patricia Sotelo-Leyva, Yesenia Aiken, Nicole Leon, Lydia Linares, Bailey Brock, Emma Meek, Michelle Pure, Alexis Caton, Stephanie Briseno, Raegan Monroe, Delilah Martinez, Kaylin Camargo, and Yanily Cortez. They are all 11-12 years old, with many playing soccer since the age of five. Be on the lookout for these girls! They are ready to take this season head on. Plant City Lancers 2005 Girls team members look forward to another successful season.
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he Plant City Lancers 2005 Girls soccer team is so excited for this season. This team is composed of seventeen girls, born in 2005 and 2006, who love playing the game. Head coach Hinijio Leon and assistant coaches Abdiel “Alex” Molina and James Jones, are extremely supportive of their players. They have done an amazing job preparing the girls for this year with continuous improvement as their goal for the team. Some members have been playing since they were very young, while others are brand new to the sport. This is only their third year as a team, and they have shown improvement each year. Practices for this season began in late July. The official season started the second weekend of September. The Lancers 2005 Girls are scheduled to play about 30 official games, but throughout the
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year, they may play scrimmages and could be involved in up to 45 total this season. The majority of last year’s successful team returned for this 2017-2018 season. Coach Jones explained, “I would say our best team memory so far was qualifying out of group play in the 2017 Commissioner’s Cup last spring. We made it into the knockout round, defeated and eliminated the St. Petersburg Raiders 1-0 in our first knockout game and finished as one of the last six teams in our Region. We were ultimately eliminated in the semifinals by Winter Haven in double overtime, 1-0. We went much further than anyone expected us to go.” The team members are ecstatic for everything coming their way this year. Martin Pure is the father of Michelle, a new player on the last year’s team. He was so impressed
The girls play defense against a tough team in a tournament.