This past weekend, the Plano East girls' soccer team came very close to being the best 5A girls team in the state.  Extremely close.  Add up the inches and it would be less than the width of your computer monitor.

After dispatching Houston Clear Lake 2-0, East met the Southlake Carroll Lady Dragons in the final.  The Lady Panthers seemed to be taking in the sights at the beginning of the game.  East seemed to lack its usual energy and were often beaten to loose balls.  They could not mount much offensive pressure, though one should keep in mind that they were facing a brisk wind and a stingy Southlake Carroll defense.  The Lady Dragons had only given up 9 goals in the preceding 21 games.  Southlake Carroll ended the half up 1-0 after defender Leslie Shurtleff placed a low shot just inside East keeper Rachael Stelly's left post.  In the second half, Shurtleff scored on a long free kick into the wind that snuck inside the farside, top corner.  The two goal deficit got East's attentions, and the game became much more competitive.  East senior midfielder Carolyn Polcari used the wind to launch some long attacks on goal.  About halfway through the second half, Polcari, bound for the University of Alabama at Birmingham, scored a goal with a well struck free kick from the right of goal.  The ball found its way to the small space between Carroll keeper Catilin Schneider's fingertips and the far, upper corner of the goal.  Later in the half, Polcari had another free kick; this one from just outside the penalty box.  Her shot bounced off the crossbar down to the ground but did not cross the line, and Carroll cleared the ball out of danger.  Finally, with a less than a minute left, East played the ball up the right side of Carroll's defense.  As the Carroll fans counted out the final seconds, East junior Serena Hines moved the ball up to senior Creeia Nuckols who angled the ball toward Polcari, then to the arc to freshman Rachel Cohenour who found Polcari just shy of the penalty kick spot.  Polcari ripped a shot as time expired, but keeper Schneider managed to smother the ball as the horn sounded.  Fifteen seconds later, Schneider was mobbed by her ecstatic teammates.  Meanwhile the East players could hardly move as they thought about how far they had come this season.  This was the first girls' team to make the state tournament, and they set the bar high for future East teams in the state tournament.  East will graduate 9 seniors including their starting back line, but there are plenty of talented juniors with the experience of the state finals to help lead this team next season.  For now, the Lady Panthers can be happy with being the best ladies' soccer team in school history.