STARKVILLE — Starkville High School senior soccer player Christine Mazzola remembers her eighth grade year when the Lady Jackets advanced to the second round of the North State playoffs.
“I still have a t-shirt,” Mazzola said. “Since this is my last season, I want to do a little better this time around.”
Starkville will again try to begin a postseason run today when the Lady Jackets play host to Center Hill in a first-round Class 5A playoff matchup.
Match time is 5 p.m. at the Starkville High football stadium. The Starkville and Center Hill boys will also follow with a first-round playoff match, slated for a 7 p.m. start.
“Everybody is excited about it,” SHS junior center-midfielder Carolina Berryhill said. “Everybody is nervous. They have butterflies. It is exciting knowing that we have gotten this far.
“We are a great team. We are beginning to bond. We are looking forward to playing in the first round. Hopefully, we can get past it.”
Starkville has qualified for the playoffs in each of the last five seasons. However, the Lady Jackets last recorded a playoff win in 2008.
“As a seventh grader, this has been a great experience this year,” Starkville keeper Camryn Dawkins said. “It has been nerve-wracking since I am so young.
“However, the older girls have been great. They have been there for me and encouraged me. This team really has a strong bond.”
Starkville (10-4-1 overall) earned the right to host its playoff opener by capturing the Class 5A, District 3 regular-season championship.
“I remember making the second round of the playoffs,” said Mazzola, a center-defender. “Words really can’t describe that experience. It was unique.
“This year, I think this team can go farther. As a senior, I have seen a lot from this team.
“Many of these players I have seen for years. Other players I have seen come up through the youth leagues. This has been a special season. It is exciting.”
The Lady Jackets clinched the district title with Friday night’s 3-0 victory over rival New Hope at home.
That victory came less than 48 hours after a 2-1 loss at New Hope.
“We wanted to come back really hard and play well,” Starkville sophomore striker Noa Hardin said. “When you lose to a team like New Hope when you know you should have won, that tells you as a team, you really need to step it up.
“We didn’t have our best game the first time. After we got home, we decided to play more like a team.”
The Lady Jackets excelled on the defensive end in the title-clinching victory over the Lady Trojans. The Starkville players credited better possession with being the key to victory.
“We play possession really well,” Mazzolla said. “We are finishing off shots. We have played with each other for a while, so I know what the other players are doing.
“We have a feel for each other. We have a good chemistry.”
Another stellar defensive effort could be a key to victory tonight.
“We are a balanced team,” Berryhill said. “It is really hard to get past our first-line of defense.
“When our offense breaks down, we know we have our defense to fall back on. Usually, our offense steps up and makes shots when we have to.”
The Starkville boys (10-3) also captured a district title. The Jackets enter postseason play on the momentum of Friday night’s 5-0 win over New Hope.
“We played well down the stretch of the season,” Starkville coach Brian Bennett said. “We had some struggles early but we are jelling right now.
“This is a good time for that to be happening.”
A year ago, the Starkville boys lost a second-round playoff match to Madison Central.
Scott was sports editor for The Dispatch.
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