Boys Soccer Dominated Despite Injuries, Absences
By Zach Warner
The Southlake Journal
It's hard to say just how dangerous the Carroll boys soccer team truly is, because it's rarely had its team together on the field at the same time this season.
Injuries, grades and prior obligations have all played a part in keeping the team apart at times this winter. Usually, those types of consistent disruptions could have the potential to sink a team.
So the question remains: if the Dragons can put together a 12-2-3 overall record and remain in a close second to Marcus in district at 4-1-3 (before Tuesday), then what can be expected from a Carroll team with all its top players on the field at the same time?
Only time will tell, but Dragon fans will have a chance to see as the regular season comes to a close this week and the playoffs begin in less than two weeks.
"We're getting everybody back healthy and playing together, which we haven't had all year," said Carroll coach Greg Oglesby, whose team played Hebron on Tuesday and now prepares to close out the district schedule with a trip to Lewisville at 7:45 p.m. Friday. "We're playing with a lot of poise and confidence.
"We've only lost twice this year," he said. "Only two teams have figured out a way to beat us to this point."
The Dragons continued to hold their own even with the temporary absence of junior forward Mac McGuire, Carroll's leading scorer for the season with 10 goals thus far. McGuire missed a couple of weeks, about a five-game span, but returned last week to make his presence felt in the Dragons' 2-1 win over Flower Mound on March 5.
McGuire scored a goal, as senior teammate Vincent Mediate had the other, his ninth of the season, in the victory over Flower Mound.
During McGuire's absence, Carroll posted a 2-1-2 record. Not too shabby for the level of talent the Dragons faced without their top goal-scorer. Carroll was also without senior goalkeeper Cameron Stansell part of that time, but the team now has the luxury of two keepers from which to choose.
All the while, the Dragons are still within reach of catching Marcus (15-2-3, 5-1-2 before Tuesday) for the district title. The Marauders had 17 points, while Carroll had a total of 15 points in the district standings as of earlier this week. One win is worth three points.
So what is the Dragons' focus in closing out its regular season contests and preparing to enter into the postseason?
"Nothing in particular, just gaining momentum," Oglesby said. "We want to keep playing our soccer. We want to do what we do, and teams will have to adjust to us. We're not going to have to do a lot of adjusting for them.
"We keep the ball about 60 or 70 percent of the time. ... You're hard to beat when you do those things."
Already guaranteed a playoff spot, Carroll needed just one win over its last two games to be guaranteed at least a tie for second place. The Dragons finish by playing last-place Lewisville (0-5-3 before Tuesday) on Friday.
Get the full version of this article and full Southlake news at www.southlakejournal.com.
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