JERMYN, Pa. — The Lakeland girls soccer team knew they had a good team on paper, but this team appears to have something special.
"We definitely have a talented roster," Lakeland Girls Soccer Coach Paul Sotak said. "I've been fortunate to have a lot of girls that really dedicated themselves and really work hard."
"We knew coming into this year that we could be really good," Lakeland sophomore striker Nadia Gill added. "We just know that if we keep going at this rate, we can be successful."
The Lady Chiefs have been the model of just that: success. After passing their toughest test of the season with a 1-0 win over Montrose, the Lady Chiefs are now 8-0, and their out-scoring their opponents 45-1. Reason to believe – this might be the year they re-claim a district title – something they haven't won since 2017.
"I just think that if we get it this year, I'll be happy and satisfied, because in my later, future years in high school, I think we'll have a chance, but I don't think we'll be as successful as this year," Gill said.
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"Anytime you get to play for the postseason, it's special and this is a good group of girls and I really hope that they have the opportunity," Sotak said.
Whatever happens, it's already an historic season here at Lakeland, as senior Marissa Boles recently became the school's all-time leading scorer, netting her 84th career goal.
"Yeah, I worked really hard and I kept track of all the goals that I had since freshman year," Boles said. "It means a lot because my name's going to be out there, and I want to go to college for soccer. So, it just means a lot that I achieved that."
"The best thing about Marissa is that although she's a really good scorer, she's a more impressive teammate," Sotak said. "The fact that she was consistent enough to continue producing for us over a four-year span, it's really special for her and I'm very happy that she was able to achieve that."