When someone thinks of Oklahoma sports, a few options usually come to mind first.
For most people, their minds will probably go to football, thanks to the Sooners and the Cowboys, along with the many talented high schools across the state. Or perhaps they’re Thunder fans and they’ll say basketball.
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Possibly they think of baseball from the Holliday family, which has produced two Major League players and looks poised for a third. Heck, some might even say softball, due to the NCAA hosting the Women’s College World Series at Devon Park.
But there is one sport I don’t think gets enough love in the state, and that’s soccer. At points, soccer feels like a forgotten sport across the state, but there are still talented athletes putting in the work like they would for any other sport.
Locally, the Tahlequah soccer teams are putting forth two teams that look poised to finish with the best record either team has had over the past several seasons. Both the Tigers and Lady Tigers are playing some top-notch play this season, both off to strong starts with two losses apiece.
Lady Tigers’ coach Scottie McKee and Tigers’ coach Greg Hall have their teams in contending shape. From top to bottom, the coaches have their teams playing as units. After talking with both coaches after games this season, both have praised how their squads are playing like a team more than ever.
The Tigers are showing it on defense with a strong presence all across the field. In their most recent game, the Tigers fell to the No. 2 team in the state — East Central — but really played lockdown defense for for 80% or more of the game. Hall doesn’t want to call it a win to keep the No. 2 team out of the net for most of the game, but he should; it shows improvement from two weeks ago when the Cardinals won 4-0.
On the other hand, the Lady Tigers have good defense, but really where they have shone lately is on offense. Twice this season, the Lady Tigers have scored 10 goals, including in their district opener against Del City. Across the board, the Lady Tigers can score from all over the field. Addi Chuculate, Reece Cowart, Madison Sheron, Lorelie Espinoza and more can score early and often this season.
Both teams are off to hot starts and are making a run for the playoffs. With two wins in district, the Lady Tigers need two more wins to clinch a spot in the postseason.
The Tigers likely need three more wins to clinch a spot.
