Thursday, March 27, 1997

Metcalf provides leadership in championship bid

By MARK WILSON

Staff Writer

There's no contest - Stacy Metcalf is by far the best senior on the Cooper girls soccer team.

Never mind that she's also the only senior playing for the Lady Cougars (18-3), who will be taking on District 14-5A champion Arlington Martin (18-3-2) Friday at 3 p.m. in the Region I-5A tournament at Pennington Field in Bedford.

The survivor of that game will play either El Paso Franklin (23-0) or Duncanville (20-2) at noon Saturday, also at Pennington Field, for the right to advance to the four-team state tournament April 4-5 in Pflugerville.

Metcalf - co-MVP in District 7-5A with Midland Lee's Christi Johnson last season - was a bolt of lightning at the forward position in Tuesday's regional quarterfinal playoff game against El Paso Irvin. She scored three goals in Cooper's 6-1 victory, for her second hat trick in the past two years.

In her fourth postseason with the Cooper varsity, Metcalf is making sure her presence is felt, but there are no other seniors around to help with the leadership role. The team captains are Metcalf and midfielder Cricket Holt, one of several outstanding junior players who lend plenty of support.

"Stacy has really been the only person from her class that has played on the varsity," Cooper coach Claudia Blea said. "Stacy is the kind of player that can make things happen on the field, and the other players know that. If we give her the ball, she can do something with it. The kids look up to her for the leadership."

Metcalf, who has verbally committed to play soccer for Midwestern State on a partial scholarship, has led Cooper in three playoff games with five goals and two assists, for a total of 12 points. In district play, Metcalf had four goals and 11 points.

"Her freshman year was a real good year for her," Blea said. "She went all out. When I saw her in her freshman year, I thought 'Wow, she's going to develop into a great player.' She used her sophomore and junior years to develop her skill and touch, and has used her senior year to turn it on once again.

"The potential has always been there for her. She's got ball skill, at a level where she can do what she wants with the ball if she sets her mind to it. She has a lot of speed and a lot of knowledge of the game and many, many years of experience. She's one of those players that has been playing since she was three or four years old."

In addition to Holt, Amanda Butz, Leanne Fenter, Stacy McNeil, Laura Berg and Emily Batko are juniors who have been on the varsity since their freshman year.

"They have a lot of experience because we've gone into the playoffs every year," said Metcalf, a National Honor Society member and straight-A student. "I just try to encourage everybody to play to their best potential, and make sure everybody gets along and works hard. They have a person to look up to. When they see me work harder, they pick it up a lot, too."

Metcalf, who plays when she can for Spirit '79, a club team in the Lake Highlands Girls Classic League, indicated she's not eager to see her high school career end.

"During the playoffs, I've stepped it up. Every game could be my last game," said Metcalf, who will major in either computer science or radiological science at Midwestern. "I've picked it up a lot. My freshman year, I shot a lot. My sophomore and junior years, I passed a lot and set people up."

This marks the first time Cooper - or any other girls team from District 7-5A - has reached the regional tournament. Metcalf said the team played one of its best games so far in crushing Irvin, and thinks the Lady Cougars may have a chance to continue beyond the final 16 in the state because they have improved their passing and communication on the field.

"We're very excited because its the farthest we've gone," Metcalf said. "This year, we've worked as a team and that's helped us go farther. I think we have a pretty good chance."