Marble Falls girls soccer to play in summer league

CAPTION: Juliette Mata and the Lady Mustangs are making the most of their summer by attending Forge ’25, the Marble Falls Independent School District’s athletic department’s strength-and-conditioning program, then participating in skills sessions. Staff photo by Jennifer Fierro

The Marble Falls Lady Mustangs will play in a summer league each Thursday beginning July 2 at Burnet High School.

The format is 7 on 7. Games have two 15-minute halves and a five-minute halftime.

Marble Falls is entering two teams in the league. Marble Purple takes on Burnet Black at 5 p.m., while Marble Gold faces Lampasas White at 5:45 p.m. The final game ends at around 7 p.m.

Other participating schools include Lago Vista, Florence and New Braunfels Long Creek where former Lady Mustang head coach Abigail Blunt is now after resigning at the end of 2023-24 school year.

Marble Falls head coach Marissa Miller, who just completed her first year at the helm, said playing in the summer league will greatly benefit the Lady Mustangs.

“We have a lot of new faces who are coming out and playing together,” she said.

Miller likes the 7-on-7 format, noting it forces the players to spread out and pass the ball multiple times to work for the open shot. In short, it challenges the athletes physically and mentally.

“You have to play quick,” she said. “You have to make fast decisions, you’re moving around a little more. It’s quicker play. You have to have accurate touches and things like that.”

The other benefit?

“We’re going to have two teams – a handful of returners and a handful of new faces,” the coach said.

That allows them to work on rapport and get to know each other, Miller added.

The program graduated only one senior.

Several Lady Mustangs also are playing club soccer this summer, which may not allow them to participate in the summer league. While summer leagues isn’t a tryout for the varsity squad — the high school soccer season doesn’t begin until January — Miller said the benefits of playing in the summer far outweigh not participating at all.

“We want them touching the ball and lining them up playing,” she said. “I think this year it’ll be pretty competitive in the program. It’s wanting them to come out and compete. Everyone is going to compete for playing time.”

Marble Falls is in District 26-4A. District member San Antonio Davenport finished as the Class 4A Division I state runner-up, losing to Celina 2-1 after beating District 24-4A champion Salado 3-2 in the state semifinals.

The other district members in Division I, Fredericksburg, lost to Burnet 5-4 in the first round of the playoffs.

In the Division II bracket, District 26-4A champion Wimberley lost the state title to Amarillo Randall in a shootout to finish as the state runner-up. The other district member, Fischer Canyon Lake, lost in the third round of the playoffs.

While those teams lost some players to graduation, Miller said there’s little reason to believe the district won’t be as competitive as it has been.

The other lesson for the Lady Mustangs?

“I think a lot realize that if we want to compete, we have to put in more work,” the coach said. “(Summer league) is an opportunity for them to work outside – keeping up with touches. They’ve seen our district. We want to get in the playoffs, we want to go far.”

CAPTION: Miranda Elizondo is one of many Lady Mustangs expected to contribute in 2026. Staff photo by Jennifer Fierro