Soccer: Permian girls season preview

The season opener can’t come quickly enough for a couple of Permian High School girls soccer players.

Senior attacker Marianne Hubnik and sophomore midfielder Brek Paz both missed the 2007 season with ACL injuries.

All they missed was the first perfect run through District 3-5A since 1999 and a third Region I-5A Tournament appearance in four seasons for the Lady Panthers.

Both players were expected to be major contributors to that effort, making it harder for each to sit and watch each game in Permian’s 19-2 season.

“I thought by the playoffs for sure I’d be back,” said Hubnik, who was a second-team all-district midfielder as a sophomore in 2006. “But it didn’t happen and I’m definitely ready for this year.”

The Lady Panthers open the season at 9 a.m. today against San Benito in the first round of the McAllen ISD Soccer Tournament.

There will be many new faces roaming the field for Permian in 2008, meaning Hubnik’s experience from her freshman and sophomore seasons will be very welcome to second-year head coach Chad Peterson.

Along with Hubnik, there’s a small number of full-time returning players — senior midfielder Lyndsey Thomas, senior midfielder Tasha Caulder and junior defender Haley Fowler along with sophomore forward Kourtnye Chandler, who saw increased playing time throughout the season.

Of course, that’s also a very talented group. Fowler was a first-team all-district player, Thomas and Caulder both were second-team selections and Chandler was given honorable mention notice.

Paz also is a returner of sorts for the Lady Panthers. She was expected to be a starter as a freshman before tearing her ACL shortly before the season and played only in the team’s season opener, though she was there on the bench every step of the way.

“I think the main reason they wanted me at the game was to see what it was about,” Paz said. “Just like the teamwork and staying together, all that stuff. Just not playing and seeing everybody play, it just makes you want it more. It makes you miss it.”

Peterson said every indication points to Hubnik and Paz being fully capable of getting on the field for the Lady Panthers and competing with the best players in District 3-5A.

He said the key was in how they reacted to the injuries in the first place about a year ago and how they perform on a daily basis in the aftermath.

“There’s a lot expected out of those two even though they’re coming off of reconstructions,” Peterson said. “Luckily they’ve got the work ethic and the right attitude. Probably the biggest key coming off of something like that is keeping the right attitude and coming into the training sessions and showing, ‘This is how we do it.’ ”

How the Lady Panthers have done it the last two season is to the tune of a pair of District 3-5A championships and a 23-1 record in league games.

A handful of players who helped such a dynasty will try to continue that tradition now along with a group of talented freshmen who will have to contribute immediately.

“This year will depend on how quickly the younger players are going to mature and how properly they’re going to mature so we can fit everything in,” Peterson said. “Certainly we lost a lot, but we have probably equally as skilled a team. We’re going to grow up real fast and we’re going to know real early where we’re going to stand within ourselves.”