Royal High School girls soccer players kick the ball around Thursday at practice. Their defense is looking strong this year, several players said. JOEL MARTIN/COLUMBIA BASIN HERALD

Royal High School girls soccer players practice Thursday. The team was knocked out of the first round at state last year, said Head Coach Jens Jensen, and they’re hoping to get farther this year.

Royal Knights soccer players dive into play at practice Thursday. A major focus this year will be on scoring goals, said Head Coach Jens Jensen.

ROYAL CITY — The Royal High School girls soccer team isn’t a bunch of beginners.

“We actually have a decent group of seniors,” said Head Coach Jens Jensen. “There's eight, I believe, we may have added a ninth, but we’ve got a decent group of seniors.” Most of his girls haven’t played club soccer, meaning in youth leagues outside of school, he added.

The roster is indeed skewed toward upperclassmen; of 19 players, only three are freshmen and one a sophomore. That experience looks likely to pay off, said senior defender Haley Piercy.

“I think our forwards are really strong,” she said. “And then we also have experienced defenders.”

Defense seems to be Royal’s strong suit this season. The girls are preparing to face teams who may have played more club ball than they have, said junior Alexa Carrasco, also a defender.

“Generally, the way you see club teams playing is a lot of pass the corner and then cross into the center,” said Piercy. “So as defense, we'll need to make sure that we’re able to clear any crosses to the center and just be really smart about where we put the ball.”

The team’s offense is a little iffier, Piercy said.

“(Coach Jensen) has had us focusing a lot on finishing,” she said. “Which is when you're close up to the goal, being able to get that final touch into the goal. And ball placement, so you're able to choose where you want the ball to go and the goal so you can, obviously, dodge the goalie.”

“We're working a lot on power,” said Ivy Delay, a senior who plays forward, “just being able to kick as hard as we can and make sure it's in the right place.”

Jensen said some of his best offensive players graduated last year, including his daughter, so scoring is going to be a weak spot they’ll have to shore up.

“I believe we're going to have a difficult time scoring goals. We don't have a real natural goal scorer, and that was what my daughter was. So this year, we're trying to develop some goal scores. But you know, that's something special. And that comes with time and experience.”

Delay, Piercy and Carrasco all agreed that one teammate that stands out is senior Alondra Morales. Jensen agreed with that assessment.

“She was a state champion girls wrestler last year,” Jensen said. “She's tough. She's a little raw, but she's tough. And she does pretty good. She can really frustrate people.”

Jensen added that it’s Delay, Carrasco and Piercy who will really lead the charge.

Royal made a milestone last year, Jensen said, getting into the state playoffs for the first time since the 1990s. They were knocked out in the first round, he explained, but they lost to a very good team.

“We played the eventual state champion, which was Deer Park, and they just whupped us,” he said. “I mean, they really whupped us. But the girls stuck, and we did everything we could, but they were just far better than us. And they went on to win the state title, and good for them.”

Delay said that tenacity looks like paying off this year.

“I feel like everybody works really hard on our team,” she said.

Joel Martin can be reached via email at jmartin@columbiabasinherald.com.

26 Samantha Fitzhugh, GK/M, senior

JOEL MARTIN/COLUMBIA BASIN HERALD

Royal Knights soccer players dive into play at practice Thursday. A major focus this year will be on scoring goals, said Head Coach Jens Jensen.

JOEL MARTIN/COLUMBIA BASIN HERALD

Royal High School girls soccer players practice Thursday. The team was knocked out of the first round at state last year, said Head Coach Jens Jensen, and they’re hoping to get farther this year.

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