By By Tony Krausz / assistant sports editor
Dec. 4, 2003
Youth will be served on the soccer pitch for the Northeast Lauderdale girls' soccer team this season.
The Lady Trojans field just one senior, Danielle Smith, this year, but that doesn't bother Northeast girls' head coach Charles Coleman.
Being such a young team didn't have an adverse affect on the Lady Trojans in the Lauderdale County tournament on Nov. 22.
Northeast finished second in the one-day tourney, but the team did force a shoot out against West Lauderdale for the title.
The Lady Trojans fell 3-1 in the shoot out, but the penalty-kick round was a sign of the team's maturation on the field.
Even more important than a new found competitiveness is that Northeast will have a steady flow of upper classmen for a long time.
The Lady Trojans' roster consists of five juniors, six sophomores, four freshmen, one eighth grader and two seventh graders this year.
Assuming most of the players return each year, Northeast will start fielding teams with more than its fair share of well-seasoned players.
Northeast, which posted a 13-2-1 record last season, has also been helped out by an influx of some new talent to its roster.
Dana Duckworth, Victoria Meek, Brittany Britain and Candice White each joined the Lady Trojans this season.
Northeast had a 1-0 season record entering the Lauderdale tournament, and the team went 2-1-1 in the Laurel tournament.
Coleman said the solid start is a good sign, as he helps his young squad learn the nuances of the game.