After surrendering only 14 goals during a 13-5-4 campaign in which they captured second place in District 13-5A, the Lady Tigers figured there’s no reason to change.
The stingy Belton girls hit the field at home for the first time today when they host Round Rock at 8 p.m. at Wilson-Kerzee Field.
The Lady Tigers (3-1) are riding a three-game winning streak, having knocked off Copperas Cove, Bryan and Killeen to close out the season-opening Killeen tournament, and hope to take another step forward against perennial playoff-qualifier Round Rock.
“We knew we would have to play better defense after making the jump to 5A last year,” said Belton coach Barry Elkins, whose squad was knocked out of last year’s playoffs in the bi-district round by Round Rock Westwood. “Now that we have a year of experience with our defensive system, we have a chance to work some other things.
“Our emphasis is till on defense, but we’re hoping to be a little stronger offensively. And since Round Rock traditionally has a strong program, it should be a good test for us.”
Belton’s offense produced just 34 goals last year, but expects more output this season.
Senior midfielders Katie Shelton and Lauren Bosquet should see more scoring chances, and sophomore Kara Parker returns after starting the second half of last season as a freshman.
Laura Burns, a three-year letterman who saw time as a forward and a defenseman last year, will likely stay at forward. She’ll be joined up front by a rotation of juniors Madison Toone and Ashley Thompson and senior Abby Buchanan, who recorded a hat trick in the Lady Tigers’ win over Killeen on Saturday.
“We’re looking at doing a few things differently to get Katie and Lauren more involved in our attack,” Elkins said. “And Kara earned her starting spot as just a freshman last year. Plus Laura is really improving even though this is her first year in a full-time starting role.
“Our biggest drawback right now is the fact that this group of girls hasn’t played together a lot. I think that’s the reason we started out kind of slow and lost that first game at the Killeen tournament. But they’re getting more used to each other and you can see it in their play.”
Belton’s rock-solid defense will be anchored by senior Kari Wright, a returning starter who earned all-tournament honors at Killeen, and junior goalie Amy Elliott.
