LA Senior On Confidence Heading Into Districts

Livingston Academy Senior Taryn Childers said confidence is both a strength and weakness for the Wildcats ahead of this week’s District Soccer Tournament.

The Wildcats closed out the regular season with a seven-game win streak that saw them outscore opponents 51-1. Childers said while the results have been positive, she said the team needs to continue to believe.

“I think just having the trust in ourselves that we can actually like shoot the ball, or we could actually take this girl on, I think that is a very key part of what we need to work on,” Childers said. “And I think once we hit that, we’ll be such a stronger team altogether. And hopefully get to our goal of winning state.”

Although she has multiple games this season where she has scored six goals, Childers said she still struggles with confidence. And while self confidence may be a weak point in her eyes, she said the trust between teammates has been a positive throughout this season.

“Honestly, it’s not like a one man show, it’s 11 people,” Childers said. “Knowing what that person’s going to do, I think it makes you a better player and I think it makes them a better player.”

The Wildcats were a relatively banged up team despite their 10-2-2 record. Senior defensive leader Ella Copeland tore her ACL just a few weeks into the season and there were consistent lineup changes to accommodate other injuries.

Childers said having players step into unfamiliar roles has been inspiring and she is confident it will pay off when it comes to playing playoff soccer.

“Just seeing that these girls are willing to be put in a space that they’re not really comfortable in and knowing that they’re going to do it just for this team, I think it’s really cool,” Childers said. “It makes me love the game even more because I understand that these people want to be here and want to win.”