Gulfport Girls Soccer sends four to the next level

In order to win back-to-back high school state championships, like the Gulfport girls soccer team, you need some under classmen to step up to make big time plays in big time games.

That’s exactly what happened for the Lady Admirals, except now all those young guns are already seniors going out the way they started, together.

This afternoon, four of those two-time defending state champs signed national letters of intent to play at the next level.

Mississippi State signee Mallory Streetman, who’s actually heading to Starkville for track and field as a mid-distance runner as well as cross country.

Next up, reigning Mississippi Gatorade Player of the Year Kate Smith, who scored the go-ahead goal in the 6A state title game back in February. She’s keeping it in the fam at Ole Miss, where she’s been committed for almost a year.

Putting pen to paper with Jones College is Lauren Carothers and then Iben Madsen heading to PRCC to play for her dad and former Gulfport Boys Head Coach Henrik Madsen.  Madsen said, “I was happy to actually get there because growing up I’ve always been like, I’m going to play college soccer and now just actually being able to do it is really exciting.”

Carothers said, “Soccer has been a part of my life forever. I’ve been playing since I was a little girl and I’ve loved it every step of the way, every chapter, everything about it. I’ve just loved it, so this is huge. It’s just another step and another new challenge.”

Streetman said, “I think that our team chemistry that we have on our soccer team is the best in the state. It’s what makes us win games, and getting to celebrate this – like I’m not even playing soccer, but getting to celebrate with them is so much fun.”

Smith said, “Well, we’ve been playing together – Mallory, too – we’ve been playing together since we were six – five or six – so it’s just been fun to go through this journey with them and to all sign together and I think that winning two state championships rings is incredible. But getting to do this is even more incredible.”

Losing is a strange concept to the Lady Admirals, who have a combined record of 50 wins to just one loss and seven draws dating back to the start of the 2019-2020 season.