LA PLATA, Md. — The La Plata High School girls soccer team enters the 2026 season with a much younger roster than the one that took the field a year ago, but coach Kevin Barry believes the Warriors have the talent, work ethic and team culture to remain competitive in the Southern Maryland Athletic Conference (SMAC).
“We want people to realize that, yes, we’re different. But different can be good and different can be a challenge to play against also,” Barry told The BayNet.
La Plata is coming off a strong 2025 season in which the Warriors were led by 12 seniors. The experienced roster gave the team confidence heading into every game, but its season ended with a playoff loss to Calvert.
While La Plata fell short of its goal of winning a regional championship, Barry said the previous season established a culture that this year’s team is determined to maintain.
The Warriors graduated a large portion of their roster, including nine of their 11 starters. Barry said replacing that experience will not be easy, but the program has spent the offseason preparing its younger players to take on larger roles.
“We’ve reloaded,” Barry said. “We have new players. We have a new core that is looking to be a part of our story as a team.”
La Plata has seven sophomores on the varsity roster, while nine players will be seeing varsity action for the first time. Several younger players gained experience late last season, giving them an introduction to varsity soccer.
Barry said the younger players have approached the opportunity with confidence rather than hesitation.
“They know they earned a spot to be on varsity. They know they belong,” Barry said.
The Warriors’ offseason preparation has centered on building chemistry among a group that had limited experience playing together.
La Plata began a weight-training program in January and continued its strength work throughout the summer. Barry said roughly 20 players participated in summer weight sessions three days a week, while about 25 players took part in summer field sessions.
The work was designed to help the team become stronger while giving players opportunities to develop relationships and trust.
With so many new players, Barry said communication has been one of the biggest priorities during preseason practices.
“The only way you build trust with each other is through communication,” Barry said.
That communication will be particularly important as La Plata works to establish a new identity on the field.
The Warriors’ defense has been a strength in recent seasons, but Barry wants this year’s team to become more dangerous offensively. Scoring was an issue last season, and La Plata is focused on creating more attacking opportunities.
“We really struggled to get the ball in the back of the net,” Barry said. “That’s really a focus for us this year is how do we create more attacking and more offensive opportunities?”
The Warriors are working on getting the ball into the attacking third more quickly and becoming more aggressive around the goal. Barry also wants the team to create more opportunities from corner kicks, restarts and other set plays.
At the same time, La Plata wants to play with a faster tempo while doing a better job of maintaining possession.
Barry said film from last season showed the Warriors sometimes surrendered possession too easily, allowing opponents to counterattack and putting unnecessary pressure on the defense.
This season, La Plata wants to take greater control of matches rather than constantly reacting to opponents.
The Warriors will have plenty of opportunities to test themselves in a competitive SMAC.
Barry described the conference as one of the toughest in the state, pointing to the depth and talent across the league. With several strong programs on the schedule, La Plata does not expect many easy games.
“There’s no easy match,” Barry said. “We love the idea that we’re gonna play in meaningful games every week.”
That difficult schedule will also help prepare the Warriors for their postseason aspirations.
Barry said the team’s primary goal is to compete for a regional championship. La Plata wants to put itself in position to reach a regional final and potentially face one of the area’s top Class 2A programs.
The Warriors also have motivation after last season’s playoff exit.
But for Barry, success will ultimately be measured by more than the team’s record.
“I don’t view wins and losses as a success,” Barry said. “What I really want to see is that every time we leave the field, do we know that we did everything we could to put ourselves in a chance to win?”
Barry wants the players to develop a strong connection to one another and to the program throughout the season. He said the relationships developed through high school sports can become just as meaningful as what happens on the field.
La Plata enters the season with a young roster, but Barry believes the players’ offseason commitment has demonstrated that they are ready for the challenge.
The Warriors may look different from last year’s team, but they are not lowering their expectations. Their goal is to build on the program’s established culture, develop a new identity and ultimately compete for a regional championship.
“Different can be good and different can be a challenge to play against also,” Barry said.
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