Cavegirls soccer: Five receive state honors

CARLSBAD – Through all the ups and downs in 2015, five Carlsbad girls soccer players found big ways to contribute on the pitch – and in the process, garner all-state honorable mention accolades on Monday.

Junior midfielder Julie Thompson, junior forward Lauryn Wade, junior defender Madison Austin, sophomore defender Mariel Gomez and freshman midfielder Gabby Aragon made the list.

“It’s fantastic. I expected to get a few. I definitely didn’t expect to get five, but that just shows that coaches are paying attention when they play teams. They’re seeing what’s going on,” coach Misty Long said.

Long said the five deserved to get that kind of recognition because of the work they put in.

Thompson scored 16 goals in 2015, 35 goals in the past two years overall. Already capable of knocking in goals with both feet, which Long previously said is uncommon, she transitioned from forward to attacking midfielder to help add depth in that area. And she still led Carlsbad in scoring this year.

“She went with the flow and did a really good job of adapting to what the game was giving her,” Long said.

A fast and fluid player moving the ball, Wade tallied seven goals this year, matching her total last year. Long said Wade’s a good “one-v-one” scorer up front. One of Wade’s big 2015 highlights came at Las Cruces, scoring the game-winner in overtime.

“When she works and puts herself in those positions, she can be very dangerous,” Long said.

Over the past two seasons, Thompson and Wade have combined for 49 goals and 23 assists.

Austin suffered a concussion during the second half of the season, but recovered in time for the regular season finale against Hobbs.

Long said Austin was hard for teams to beat in the midfield because she’s physically strong and reads the game well.

“When she goes in for a tackle, she’s going to win the ball most of the time,” Long said. “She kept the game very simple this year, which was a key factor. She didn’t play outside of herself, if you will.  She would win the ball, get rid of it and give it to her teammates.”

Long said it’s huge that Thompson, Wade, Austin, Gomez and Aragon will be back in 2016. Long said it’ll also be beneficial for them to enter the upcoming campaign with state honors on their resumés.

“Hopefully, that’ll give them some confidence in what they’re doing,” Long said.

Current-Argus Sports Editor Matt Hollinshead may be reached at 575-628-5518.