The East Limestone girls soccer team took on Springville on Friday, May 12, at 5 p.m. in the final four match for the 5A state championship. The game was ongoing as of press time, and an update with results can be found at enewscourier.com.

Coach Max Norman knew going into the game that the girls were prepared to compete.

“I know what my girls are capable of doing. I know how we’re capable of playing. If we’ll just show up and play we’ll be just fine,” he said.

The News Courier spoke to the team, too, and they did have a few critiques of their play going into the game. They said they knew they needed to have more confidence from the start of each match.

“I think if we communicate a little bit more a lot of our problems will be solved,” said senior Raegan Kelley.

The team has seven seniors this year. Lily Hosmer is one of them, and she’s broken several school records this season. She said the girls were excited to be back in the playoffs this year.

“We’ve been here before so we know what the feeling is like, and all of us are excited to go back to John Hunt and play there because the atmosphere is amazing. We’re excited for our student section that’s going to go,” she said. “And the people who haven’t been there before, I know they’re excited to get to experience it.”

Some of the younger girls on the team were brought up specifically to help during playoffs Coach Norman said.

“I have very high hopes for the next few years,” he said. “We try to create some excitement around our team.”

He said the seniors know their stuff and have been great role models.

“All of them are very talented soccer players. They’ve all been playing soccer their whole life. We have a lot of great talent coming up. Obviously, this team is kind of special because we have so many seniors and they’ve been together so long,” he said.

Of course, this final four game is special for the seniors.

“This is our last chance ever to possibly win a state title, so we just want to give it all that we’ve got,” said senior Peyton Higginbotham.

Last year, the team made it to the championship game but lost to Indian Springs, securing a red map but letting the blue just slip out of their hands.

“East has always had a good soccer program, but the last few years we have really tried to step up our game,” he said. “There’s lots of little things we do to try to make it better,” he said.

This year the girls said they have really become a close-knit unit, and it hasn’t gone unnoticed by the younger players.

“This team is some of the best girls I’ve ever played with,” eighth grader Emerson Rose said. “Y’all are kind of family to me now so it’s really fun, and I’m excited to win this as a family. We’re going to do it together.”

Norman said the team’s family atmosphere has helped them play for each other.

“We’ve had a lot of bumps along the way just like every sports team does. We’ve had injuries. We’ve had different things happen, but the last two months of it has just gelled together ,and they have been playing phenomenally,” he said.

Norman said the last game they lost was against Florence, a 7A school, and since that they’ve changed their formation around — and since then they’ve been on a roll.

“I am blessed to have a lot of talent on this team. It’s not great coaching that does this. It’s being able to herd them and get them all going in the same direction. They’ve got the talent – they bring it – I just manage it,” he said.

The team said that he’s been important in their growth.

“He’s really created a positive environment where we can learn from our mistakes and just work on the little things, because the little things is what makes the biggest difference for the game,” Higginbotham said.

Hosmer agreed he’s prepared them and given them the opportunities they needed.

“Every single one of us has been out here every day since September, at least four days a week, working our butt off. This is, like, what it’s all been for,” she said.

The team said they were excited for the competition the playoffs would bring.

“Even if we don’t win, I want to go to the final game because it’s going to be good competition, and I think it’s better to have competition than it is to just win every game. It makes us look better when we actually have competition,” freshman Kaylie Gibson said.

“We do a lot of little things. We try to do a lot of team building activities,” Coach Norman said. “With girls to me it’s a lot more important than boys. Boys will play even if they hate each other. Girls want to be friends. They want to have that atmosphere.”

He said the girls do meals together at each other’s houses, and he encourages them to watch out for each other in school.

“Honestly, to me, coaching soccer is about more than just playing a game, and we’re supposed to be here mentoring kids and helping them get ready for life. And, that is what we try to do,” he said.

Coach Norman had some advice he wanted them to take into the playoffs.

“Play like it matters. Give everything you’ve got. Leave it all on the field, and whatever happens, it’s okay.”