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Sisters Kristin, Alyssa and Kelsey Meece, left to right, all start for the Lincoln County girls, who are on their way to their fifth consecutive winning season. (Mike Marsee / September 24, 2012) |
Alyssa Meece never gave much thought to playing soccer until her younger sisters told her how much fun it was.
Twins Kelsey and Kristin Meece sold their older sibling on the sport several years ago, and now the three of them are enjoying the game and the success they’re having with the Lincoln County girls.
They are a family within a family, making up a large portion of the starting lineup for one of the area’s winningest teams.
“I love it,” Alyssa Meece said. “I just like being with the girls and working hard, and I like achieving stuff.”
Lincoln has not lacked for achievement lately. The Patriots are 10-3-1, were unbeaten in eight straight games before a loss to Boyle County last week and have locked up the No. 2 seed for the 45th District Tournament.
The Meece sisters, junior Alyssa and sophomores Kelsey and Kristin, have played a key role in their success.
“They’re really coming along,” first-year coach Andrew Kaiser said. “I just can’t say enough about them. They’re hustling to the ball and just doing a great job.”
The girls say the entire team has come along as well.
“We’ve became more serious this season than ever in the past, in middle school or ever (before). We’ve come together more as a team than we ever have,” Kelsey said.
“And I think our mindset, it’s there (on the field),” Kristin added. “It’s not everywhere else; it’s on the field.”
Kelsey and Kristin are about 18 months younger than Alyssa, and Kelsey is 1 minute older than Kristin. The twins took up soccer before older sister Alyssa, and they convinced her to give soccer a try when they were in the fourth grade and she was in the fifth.
“We kind of dragged Alyssa in with us,” Kelsey said.
“They just said it was fun and asked me to play, and I said I’d try, and I tried it and I stuck with it,” Alyssa said.
The three girls are part of a movement that has seen soccer grow in Lincoln County from the youth programs right up to the boys and girls high school teams.
“I think that the longer the girls and boys play together, whenever they get older they become more serious and they get even better. And the better they get the more people want to play and more people want to come out and watch it,” Kelsey said.
Kaiser said the level of play for the high school teams is clearly on the rise.
“We have a few select players that play, and that obviously helps because they’re playing year ’round, and we have a lot of players with a lot of talent. And once you get them working together, that’s what it takes,” he said.
With three regular-season games remaining, the Lincoln girls are assured a fifth straight winning season — they have won 33 games over the last three years — and are taking aim at their first regional tournament appearance since 2004.
“We’ve had our ups and downs, but we all work together,” Alyssa said.
Twins Kelsey and Kristin Meece sold their older sibling on the sport several years ago, and now the three of them are enjoying the game and the success they’re having with the Lincoln County girls.
They are a family within a family, making up a large portion of the starting lineup for one of the area’s winningest teams.
“I love it,” Alyssa Meece said. “I just like being with the girls and working hard, and I like achieving stuff.”
Lincoln has not lacked for achievement lately. The Patriots are 10-3-1, were unbeaten in eight straight games before a loss to Boyle County last week and have locked up the No. 2 seed for the 45th District Tournament.
The Meece sisters, junior Alyssa and sophomores Kelsey and Kristin, have played a key role in their success.
“They’re really coming along,” first-year coach Andrew Kaiser said. “I just can’t say enough about them. They’re hustling to the ball and just doing a great job.”
The girls say the entire team has come along as well.
“We’ve became more serious this season than ever in the past, in middle school or ever (before). We’ve come together more as a team than we ever have,” Kelsey said.
“And I think our mindset, it’s there (on the field),” Kristin added. “It’s not everywhere else; it’s on the field.”
Kelsey and Kristin are about 18 months younger than Alyssa, and Kelsey is 1 minute older than Kristin. The twins took up soccer before older sister Alyssa, and they convinced her to give soccer a try when they were in the fourth grade and she was in the fifth.
“We kind of dragged Alyssa in with us,” Kelsey said.
“They just said it was fun and asked me to play, and I said I’d try, and I tried it and I stuck with it,” Alyssa said.
The three girls are part of a movement that has seen soccer grow in Lincoln County from the youth programs right up to the boys and girls high school teams.
“I think that the longer the girls and boys play together, whenever they get older they become more serious and they get even better. And the better they get the more people want to play and more people want to come out and watch it,” Kelsey said.
Kaiser said the level of play for the high school teams is clearly on the rise.
“We have a few select players that play, and that obviously helps because they’re playing year ’round, and we have a lot of players with a lot of talent. And once you get them working together, that’s what it takes,” he said.
With three regular-season games remaining, the Lincoln girls are assured a fifth straight winning season — they have won 33 games over the last three years — and are taking aim at their first regional tournament appearance since 2004.
“We’ve had our ups and downs, but we all work together,” Alyssa said.
