Madison Thacker is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Chaparral High School for AZPreps365.com

With a target on their back and COVID-19 threatening to slow them down, Chaparral’s girls soccer team continues to push forward with goals of winning another state title. 

Ranked number one in the Arizona Republic’s high school girls soccer preseason rankings, the Firebirds are seeking their fifth consecutive state championship competing in 6A. 

Their season was delayed until Jan. 18, leading to the subtraction of preseason tournaments and the addition of safety protocols to prevent the spread of COVID-19: All players and coaches must wear masks at practices and games. Moreover, all players’ temperatures are checked, and they must answer a series of questions to ensure they have no symptoms and have not come in contact with an infected person.

“At practices and games, we are rarely taking our masks down and if we need to, we come out and have a water break which helps us catch our breath,” said senior midfielder Lauren Carlson. 

In the beginning, breathing through a mask while conditioning at high levels made it difficult.

But that didn’t last long.

“Since we’ve been training in them and wearing them whenever we’re out, we have adjusted even though it was hard at first. Now it doesn’t really bother anybody anymore,” said Carlson.

To go the extra mile, all 22 players decided as a team to forgo in-person learning for the quarter and switch to the school’s online program to avoid the possibility of a quarantine. Also, the team now travels separately from the junior varsity squad.

Along with adjusting to COVID-19 protocols, the team is adjusting to a new squad.

They lost eight starting seniors from last year’s winning machine and added 13 to the roster.

“Every year we have these great seniors that really make an impact on our program and then they pass the torch off to the next ones in line so then they can lead the team and have success,” said head coach Robyn Carlson.

Without preseason tournaments, the players were forced to bond quickly on and off the field.

“We’re all coming from different clubs. The only thing we really have in common is that we’re playing for our high school. That’s what at the end of the day has to bring us together,” said Lauren Carlson.

In previous years, the players shared blankets on the bench. This season, team captains Lauren Carlson and senior forward Delaney Penn had each player make a blanket. The team also spent time getting smoothies after practice to get to know the new faces. 

“As a whole, this is probably the fastest we’ve ever connected because we have had to get through so much together with the season being on, then off, and having to wear masks and so it’s by far the quickest we have bonded as a team,” said Penn. 

Bonding quickly off the field has helped them move toward one common goal: to be a champion again.

“We are training so hard because there is so much pressure to win another one and everyone wants to so bad. is on our minds constantly. Every game we go into it’s, we have to win this one to set us up for state,” said Penn.

The team is 5-1 overall amid a challenging schedule, with their only loss coming against Pinnacle.

“Every game we learn from, whether we win, lose, or tie, and everything we do throughout the season is learning and that’ll help us as the state tournament comes around,” said Robyn Carlson.

They are giving every effort to inch them closer to their goal. Players put in extra time before and after team practices to get their own workouts in.

“The energy of wanting to play for your high school and wanting to win another state championship is what we are all really about,” Lauren Carlson said.