Grant Union goalie Morgan Walker launches a kick against Nyssa on Saturday, Sept. 9, 2023, at Grant Union High School.

The Grant Union Lady Pro soccer team fell 6-0 to the Lady Bulldogs of Nyssa on Saturday, Sept. 9 in what was a much better outing than their last two games, which were both 8-0 losses that didn’t last the full 80 minutes.

That isn’t the full story, however. 2023 is the pilot year for the Grant Union Girls soccer program following a push to bring the sport to the school by team members Maddie Bailey, Morgan Walker and Mallory Lusco.

The duo of Bailey and Walker initially approached Bailey’s mother Heather, who’s now the head coach, about starting a team.

“I can’t remember the timeline of it but they were just hanging out at our house and they came to me in the kitchen and they’re like ‘hey, we want to start a soccer team,’ ” coach Bailey said.

That declaration led to a conversation with Grant Union Athletic Director Andy Lusco about the possibility of starting a girls soccer team along with a commitment to coach the team from Heather Bailey if the girls were serious about starting a team.

“Then they got Mallory Lusco on board and the three of them recruited pretty heavily and they got a list of girls that were committed,” coach Bailey said.

The girls returned to Andy Lusco with that list of interested girls, which prompted Lusco to take the proposal to the Grant School Board.

“The board was supportive, the community has been really supportive, it’s been a good experience but we are building from the ground up,” coach Bailey said.

While the team is active and competing, the first year hasn’t come without early struggles. The roster is so small that the team lacks substitutes, although coach Bailey said the team has a couple late additions and might have substitute players in a couple weeks.

As a result, the same group of girls competes for all 80 minutes. Along with no substitutes, the county has very little in the way of organized soccer once kids are older than 10.

That would prove difficult for most teams, but not these girls. Absent is the complaining, blaming and tension that can accompany new sports teams trying to find their competitive footing.

Halftime and water breaks were filled with compliments and encouragement among teammates. Coach Bailey said that dynamic is something she instilled in the team and is a source of pride for the girls.

“In starting this program, one thing that has been important to me and the girls as well is that our main focus is on creating a positive team culture and atmosphere,” she said.

The existence of the team has led to excitement among younger girls within the community who hope the team is still around when they enter high school.

“The girls on our team recognize that they’re starting something that can affect a whole other group of girls coming up so it’s great that it’s a culture that is being supported,” coach Bailey said.