The Caledonia High School varsity soccer teams have only two remaining play dates this year.

Girls coach Jason Forrester and boys coach Kevin Kugel hope the work each team has put in will pave the way for even more success in 2012.

The Caledonia girls (9-3-1) and the boys (10-1-2) will play at 5:30 and 7:30 tonight at West Point. The girls will play host to Starkville at 2:15 p.m. Saturday. The boys game, originally scheduled for 4 p.m. Saturday, had to be canceled, according to Kugel, due to the fact several of his players will take standardized tests and several more had prior commitments.

Both teams are coming off strong showings in the past week. The Caledonia girls beat Columbus 3-2 last week before going 2-1 at the Center Hill tournament last weekend. The Lady Confederates lost to Horn Lake 2-0. Sarah Freeman made 11 saves in the match. Emily Brewer had two goals and Hope Burton had a goal and three assists in a 4-1 win against Lake Cormorant. Taylor Hayes had the other goal, while Alex Burns had three saves. Peyton Stanley had two goals in a 2-0 victory against Center Hill. Kailey Lavender and Darby Williams had assists. Freeman made nine saves.

On Monday, Caledonia needed overtime to beat the Mississippi School for Math and Science 3-1 at the Joe Cook Soccer Complex. Lindsey Burton had two goals and Stanley had the other. Jordan Wade had an assist, and Freeman made five saves.

Forrester credited MSMS for strong play in the district opener for his team. He believes the team is off to its best start in his 10 seasons as coach. He feels the senior leadership of Laura James, Lindsey Burton, Emily Dallas, Gwen Trahan, Kaleigh Reynolds, and Zia Saraiva has played a key role in the team being able to blend talented groups of players from different classes.

“We did a lot of work going back into the summer and getting up at 630 in the morning,” Forrester said. “We did our conditioning throughout the preseason and I think it really paid off because we’re not getting worn out. A lot of the younger players are having to step up when they have to sub in, and they’re adding quality minutes and adding to that quality start.”

Following a match against New Hope earlier in the season, Forrester credited the Caledonia Parks and Recreation program for doing a great job preparing players for high school soccer. He said the work many of his players have done at the youth level has helped them transition into a higher caliber of play. As a result, he said he doesn’t have to spend as much time teaching skills or repeating lessons.

Forrester also said the younger players on the team, which includes eight sophomores and eight freshmen) have listened to the upperclassmen and have been very receptive to coaching.

“The younger ones have played together for a good while, and that goes into the older girls and makes for a real cohesive unit,” Forrester said.

Forrester feels the district, which also includes 2011 Class 4A North State finalists Amory and Pontotoc, will be a battle. He believes the two teams that come out of the district will be tested and ready to compete against any team in the state. He hopes Caledonia can continue its strong play in its final matches of 2011 (Caledonia plays at Pontotoc on Dec. 16) and contend for a postseason berth.

“The girls know what is ahead of them,” Forrester said. “They know they will have to play really good ball to beat Pontotoc and Amory, and beat MSMS again. They are working hard to stay there. It is really pleasing to see that kind of start we have had.”

Kugel, whose son, Kevin, is a former player, is in his second season as coach of the team. He has another son, Joshua, who is a junior on the team this season.

Like the girls squad, coach Kugel cites chemistry as a primary reason for the fast start. He feels seniors Nick May, Drew Hankins, Dylan Mimms, Rafael Franco, Seton Cox, and Andrew Davis have helped the team embrace a philosophy that stresses communication, team play, and awareness on the field.

“The boys have really started to come together as a team,” Kugel said. “They have started to jell. The communication has improved greatly on the field.”

Kugel admits the boys team still has plenty of work to do, but he said it was “pleasing” to see the squad play so well in a stretch that saw it play five matches in four days. Three — a 1-0 win against Horn Lake, a 9-1 win against Lake Cormorant, and a 1-0 win against Center Hill — came Saturday at the Center Hill tournament. Each match featured two 3-minute halves.

Kugel said the final victory was especially satisfying for the players because it came against their former coach, Morgan Mansfield, who is now the coach at Center Hill.

“The game could have gone either way,” Kugel said. “We had several shots that hit the bar, and the goalie made some really good saves. Fortunately. We had one fall and we sat back and we able to keep it out of our defensive end.

“I think the boys wanted to play well for coach Mansfield because they have a lot of respect for him and think very highly of him.”

Kugel likes the versatility on the 30-player squad. He feels the Confederates will need all of those options when they turn back toward district play Dec. 16 at Pontotoc. Caledonia is scheduled to play Amory on Jan. 10 and 17. He feels those matches will be intense rivalry games.

“As long as the boys maintain a high level of concentration, keep their heads in the game, and possess the ball, those would be the three keys to maintaining the level of play we have been able to attain so far,” Kugel said.

Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.