Girls varsity soccer got a step closer to their third straight District 28-6A championship on Tuesday with a 2-1 win against Reagan using attacking combinations that translated to winning Ian’s Cup.
“We took on a very experienced Reagan team, went down a goal and didn’t give up. The resilience and intensity of this team was inspiring,” girls head coach Scott Stone said. “The players on the field gave everything they had to the game.”
The win against Reagan bumps Johnsons overall season record to 4-3-3.
“I can’t wait to see how this team grows and matures through the process this season,” Stone said. “I honestly know they are good enough to shock everyone out there that thinks we lost all our talent to graduation. I can’t wait to see these young players learn their place in the team and earn their spots in the record books.”
After 8 seniors leave the program, Johnson starts the 2025 season with only 3 returning starters and 7 overall returners.
“My first goal was to get this group, who mostly had never played together before, to connect with each other and become emotionally a team,” Stone said.
Last year the Jags accomplished an undefeated district season going 16-0 in district and ending with a 21-2 overall record.
“With so many new faces on the team, 10 of the 18 are new to varsity, it is imperative that they connect with each other on a personal level before any growth can happen as a team,” Stone said.
The Jaguars want everything to lead to a long playoff run. Last year Johnson lost in a 2-1 finish against Austin Westlake. Westlake progressed to a state runner-up finish.
“My ultimate goal as always is to make the state tournament, that is always the ultimate goal for each year,” Stone said.
Johnson girls started their district play on a rough note after falling in a 2-1 defeat against Brandeis on Jan 21.
“The loss against Brandeis was a big deal. The team’s confidence was definitely shaken,” Stone said. “The reality is we know we have the talent to perform way better than we did, so we tried to increase focus on just a couple of key issues and not dwell on the loss.”
The Jaguars believe the loss against Brandeis was not indicative of how talented and cohesive the team can be this season.
“We didn’t go into that game with a good mentality, and we’ve learned from that mistake in every game since,” junior Abigail Blanchette said.
Even though the program is starting fresh the girls have hope for this upcoming season.
“Although we didn’t start on the best note, I really feel that we can bounce back and still try and earn the district champs title,” Blanchette said. “It’s an opportunity to come back from the loss and just really show that we are capable of more.”
