Soccer king in Friendswood!

By Evan Mohl
The Daily News
Published April 1, 2010

Soccer fans came out in droves to support the Friendswood and Texas City girls soccer teams on Tuesday in Angleton.

It was an impressive showing for about 300 fans from each community who made the 45-minute drive.

Angleton coach Janet Lumpkins said it was the biggest crowd to witness a soccer game at Wildcat Stadium.

The support also proved meaningful, specifically on the Texas City side. A group of students who call themselves the Texas City Hooligans showed up shirtless with chests painted.

They cheered throughout the game, including chants of “Olé.” After the Lady Stings won, they went crazy, promising to “shock the world” against Friendswood and yelling, “we’re not worthy,” while bowing their heads.

The players noticed.

“It’s one thing to have your parents come out, but to have the school behind you with a lot of fans, it’s awesome,” Texas City senior Jennifer Low said. “It makes you want to win more and play harder.”

I often wonder how much fans really can affect the outcome of a game. It’s almost impossible to compute into quantifiable numbers as so many factors contribute to winning and losing.

But in the high school arena or field, I think it matters. A lot. Every player and every coach I talk to at that level acknowledges the importance of involved fans.

Find anything in Friendswood!