Springtown Lady Porcupines enter playoffs as third seed

Springtown finished 5-4-1 in District 8-4A competition, earning third place behind undefeated Decatur (10-0) and second-place Bridgeport (8-2).

Before the final game, the Lady Pines celebrated Senior Night at Porcupine Stadium to honor the five upperclassmen on the roster.

Areli Araujo plans to earn her cosmetology license and attend college to become a certified medical assistant. Her advice to future soccer players: “Cherish every minute of it.”

Amira Neri will tackle an associate degree at Weatherford College, transfer to a larger school to earn a bachelor's degree, and become a bilingual teacher. Her advice: “Buy into the team bonding moments because the season will go by fast.”

Aubrey Mueller participated in several sports, including wrestling, cross-country, soccer, and powerlifting. She served as a student trainer on the football team and was a member of the National Honor Society. Her plans include attending Midwestern State University to study athletic training. The accomplishment she appreciated most as a soccer player was hearing opposing coaches tell their teams to “watch out for a number 17.”  Mueller’s advice to future players is, don't let anyone stop you from doing what you love and “always keep your head high.”

Diana Perez was recently certified as a medical assistant and plans to attend Texas Woman's University and major in nutrition. Advice: “No matter how many times you fail, never give up, always try your best, always remember who you are and where you came from.”

Jocelyn Diaz plans to attend Weatherford College and earn an associate degree. Her favorite memories of soccer were singing during bus rides and laughing with teammates. She is most proud of scoring most of her goals with her non-dominant foot. Advice: “Always cherish the good and the bad days because you won’t realize how much they really mean until you don't have them anymore.”

Just before their final regular-season game began, the seniors were reflective on their years as a Lady Pine.

“It's really exciting and also really sad because it's my last home game,” Perez said. “We've worked really hard this whole season.”

Head coach Katherine Kummerfeld will miss Perez.

“I feel like you bloomed this year,” Kummerfeld said. “You really came into your position as an outside defender and did awesome work for us.”

The coach appreciated Perez’s attitude as well as her talent.

“She is such a sweet character, always positive,” Kummerfeld said. “Even if she is upset, she is still always kind to everyone.”

The playoff picture looks bright for the Porcupines, the coach said. Last season, the team tied for fourth place and had to compete in a “play-in” game to determine who made the playoffs. Springtown lost that game.

“It’s cool to be secured at the third-place spot,” Kummerfeld said. “Last year, we were fighting for that fourth spot and had to have that play-in game. That was nerve-racking. It's nice to know we're secure in playoffs. We’ve gotten better and better.”