When asked about filling the mammoth-sized shoes of former White Station goalie Lauren Sobral, Grace Balsam (9) smiled.

“It’s tough,” Balsam said. “[Sobral] was a really great player. Luckily, I have some amazing leaders helping me out during the games.”

Balsam is part of a youth movement in the Lady Spartans’ soccer team, one with both a new coach and many young faces leading the charge.

After the departure of former head coach Jason Love during the off-season, the Lady Spartans’ season was in limbo. Then, amidst the chaos, the team announced they were hiring White Station Middle School teacher Julie Knowles to replace him. Knowles made her presence felt immediately.

“This season, practices have been more structured and organized,” midfielder Leeraz Zuo (12) said. “We’re better able to see what we can improve on with Coach Knowles.”

Along with a new sense of order, Knowles also brought in a new scheme for the Lady Spartans: leaving Love’s slow-paced 4-2-2 formation for an attacking, aggressive 4-3-3. This formation relies on having a strong set of midfielders; for White Station, a line anchored by Zuo and Jade Pearce (11).

However, an unforeseen injury brought an unexpected challenge to the Spartans’ season. Zuo had torn her ACL, a devastating blow to a team with little experience in the midfield aside from her and Pearce.

“Leeraz’s injury could have derailed our season,” left back Ruthie Ivy (10) said. “But instead, we kept fighting, and a lot of our younger players took a leap forward.”

One of these players was Grace Duncan (9). Knowles called on Duncan to play out of her typical position and replace Zuo in the lineup – not an easy task. Duncan, however, was up for the challenge and took over many games with her elite speed.

Another player Knowles relied on to replace some of Zuo’s production at midfield was Kennedy Jarrett (9). “Kennedy has been huge for us,” Knowles said. “She’s really stepped up since Leeraz went down and is doing an exceptional job playing in the midfield.”

On the defensive side of the ball, Caroline Duncan (9), Grace’s twin, has given the team a huge boost. [Caroline] is really strong in the backfield,” Ivy said. “She’s a really key player, is smart with the ball and has saved us a lot from getting scored on.”

This season, Knowles has employed two goalies – Balsam and Audrey Garrett (10). Both have started many games for the Lady Spartans this season, and for the most part, the unusual strategy has worked. Balsam, however, gives most of the credit to her defense.

“Amy [Bell] and Madelyn [Delisle] have really boosted my confidence in the goal this season,” Balsam said.

Starting forward Gwen Joy (11) agreed. “Amy has really stepped up as a vocal leader from this team,” Joy said.

Despite her injury, Zuo has refused to lose faith in her teammates this season. During games, one can always find her on the sidelines, taking on the role of assistant coach and helping Knowles lead the team to victory. According to Knowles, having Zuo on the sideline has been key in her first season coaching the Lady Spartans.

“Leeraz reinforces important points during the games. She is a great leader and a very positive person,” Knowles said.

“Leeraz sees everything we need to do during games. She tells us exactly what we need to work on. It’s really helpful,” Caroline Duncan said.

This season has been a massive success for the Lady Spartans. With both a new coach and two fresh faces at goalie, the Lady Spartans entered the season with low expectations. However, thanks to changes to the team’s formation and strategy from Coach Knowles, leadership from the team’s seven seniors and major contributions from many underclassmen, the team has proven to be better than expected.