The 13 and under tournament soccer team from the Troy Parks and Recreation league remembers getting knocked out in the first round of the tournament last year. The team fell against Andalusia, but head coach Doug McLendon felt his team could have won the game.

“Last year this team was very young,” McLendon said. “They’re battle tested enough from last year.”

The team has been practicing against the 16 and under team this year, and McLendon said the experience against the older team does nothing but help.

“They played against the older team tonight and looked awful good,” McLendon said. “They’re older and they bring a lot of speed and talent against our team. The older kids communicate better, and they use the entire field. We needed to see that.”

The players feel good about how they think their team will perform at the district tournament on Saturday.

“We look good,” Austin Adler said. “We’re working together as a team. We just want to win and take it all the way.”

The team is on the road in Eufaula this Saturday where they will face Ozark and Eufaula in tournament play.

“We’re learning to play together,” Jessica Wilkes said. “We’re from six teams coming into one now, and we’re having to learn it all in one week. We just have to work together and give all we have.”

The team looks forward to district play, and they hope they can advance farther than last season.

“This is a veteran team,” McLendon said. “They have the talent to go far.”