There’s a new team in town. The Lady Jays Soccer team’s 2016 season is underway and there has been a lot of change. The team’s new head coach, Tyler Nash, has brought a new atmosphere and a new vibe to the program.

“It feels as though our team is starting fresh,” sophomore Hailey Smith said. “Nash is very dedicated and has high expectations for us.”

It has always been a goal of Nash’s to be a varsity coach and he is enjoying every minute of it.

“I love the opportunity of being able to mold and shape a successful program like Lady Jays soccer,” he said. “Coaching is so much more than just soccer. It is having the opportunity to impact lives in ways that you never could without; you create bonds and friendships that can last a lifetime.”

The Lady Jays lost some players this year, but they have gained new players as well. The team gets along great on and off the field and work hard at every practice.

“We have a lot of fun,” junior Kasey Allshouse said. “I don’t think there is a lot of grade separation. We’re all just a big family.”

The ‘family’ has been producing great results on the field. At the beginning of the season, they played in a hard tournament against some top-notch teams from both Missouri and Kansas. After that tournament, the Lady Jays played a doubleheader against Ruskin and a game against St. Joe Central. Winning all three games, the Lady Jays scored over thirty goals.

“I have told the girls from day one that we will not measure our success with wins and losses,” coach Nash said. “My goal for the girls is simple; to become more than what you thought you could be. The girls have continually gotten better each game.”

The Lady Jays were recently ranked close to the bottom in the list of metro high school women’s soccer teams and the team was not happy with these results. The lower ranking shows the team what they have to prove to themselves and to the community.

“Some teams that we are better than ranked higher than us and that’s not fair to us,” Smith said. “It fires us up.”

Senior Hillary Protzman agrees.

“We need to work together as a team,” she said. “We need to believe that we can succeed and trust in each other.”

The Lady Jays talk and research a lot of game films. They break things down with what worked well and what needs to improve. This helps the team correct their mistakes and understand what works.

“I have been proud of the effort that these girls have made,” Nash said. “Overall, I am very pleased with the girls and feel that they have continued to try and make each other better.”

The team’s goal is to finish conference strong. After Conference comes Districts, which is at the end of May. The expectations are high for Districts play. The Lady Jays got second for the 2015 season.

“The team that got first last year isn’t doing as well this year,” Smith said. “I hope we can win it all.”