Officially starting on February 28, 2022, the Manitou Springs High School girls soccer team led by Coach Ben Mack is expecting a very exciting season ahead. 

The girls varsity soccer team has their first game at home on March 11, 2022 against Middle Park High School. The girls will play their rival school, St Mary’s, on April 21, 2022 at St Mary’s stadium. 

Abigail Parker and Kylie Matas are the only seniors on the team this year. Parker has been playing soccer since third grade and will be attending Franciscan University next year to continue playing. 

“I am excited to have a normal season because my last one was freshman year. Last year we only played 11 games, and just being able to play with Manitou is something that is super special,” Parker said. 

This will be the first actual season since the 2018-19 school year because of COVID-19, so the teams that Manitou plays and the whole schedule will be much different compared to last year. Last year, they played 11 games compared to the 17 games played in the 2019 season. This season the girls have 15 games scheduled, but that could change if they go to playoffs. 

Madrid Mack (11) was the leading scorer of the team last year as a sophomore. “Being an underclassman and achieving that kind of puts a lot of pressure on these next two years, so I’m going to kind of try to remain the leading scorer; but if it doesn’t work out that’s okay,” Mack said. 

Both Mack and Parker agree that this season is going to be more difficult than last year because of COVID. “I think last year we didn’t play that many difficult teams, but we have a hard schedule coming up this season that will prepare us better for playoffs,” Parker said. 

“It’s definitely hard, because with COVID our league was a lot easier. We didn’t really play any Denver schools, so I think it might be different this year; but I do believe that our team is almost more solid than it was last year,” Mack said. 

Ben Mack has been the head coach of the girls soccer team since 2014 and the boys soccer coach since 2004. “ I think we’re going to be able to play a style of soccer that I really like, and we haven’t had the skill to play that way previously; so that’s probably what I’m most excited for is really playing as a team, ” Coach Mack said. “This year I think we’re going to be really good. We definitely have some holes and some weaknesses and we have to improve throughout the season, but I think we have a really good core base of talent.”