Girls soccer competed in its annual Ranger Classic tournament Jan. 3-5, officially kicking off the 2019 season with a second place finish.

The team competed in two scrimmages prior to the tournament, which they won 3-0 and 1-0. Going into the tournament, the team came in with a much different starting 11 from this past season, missing the likes of graduates Kaitlyn Bumgarner, Kayci Peak and Erica Martinez.

Senior Damita Mendoza was listed as one of the area’s “Players to Watch” on

Before the girls’s opening match against Hutto on Jan.3, the San Antonio Express News listed senior Damita Mendoza on its lists of “Players to Watch.”

“It was an honor,” Mendoza said. “I feel like I played really well last season and I’m going to try my best now to show that I deserve this award.”

In the Hutto game, the Rangers dominated possession throughout the game, with Hutto struggling to even get the ball out of its own half. Lone striker Kaitlyn Smith scored the only goal  in the first half with a through ball assist from freshman midfielder Taylor Swenson. After the goal, the Rangers created more chances but were unable to increase their lead.

The Rangers started another morning match against Macarthur. A solid team last season, Madison lost their top seniors to graduation, leaving a completely different team. Macarthur was no match for the Rangers as the team took the 4-0 win  Smith performed with two goals and one assist with contributions from seniors Mendoza and Sarah Cyphers who contributed assists.

The win against Macarthur put the Rangers into the tournament final of their tournament, facing a tough Churchill opponent. Churchill defeated the Rangers’ division rivals, Canyon, in the semifinal.

The teams seemed evenly matched throughout the game, with chances coming for both sides, but in the first half ,Churchill scored the lone goal in the game. The Rangers tried to bring the match level, but they couldn’t put the ball in the back of the net. The team even scored a goal in the final minutes, but the referee called a questionable offside after the ball went in.

At 2-1 for the season, the girls traveled to the Round Rock tournament this weekend.