Royals ready to have fun on the soccer pitch

The 2025 season will feature a few new smiles running around on Delmarva Christian’s revitalized soccer pitch.

“We have amazing potential if we keep practicing, and we'll just have so much fun,” said senior Hailey Walls. “The team is really connecting.”

There are quite a few cleats to fill for the spring season, but the girls have recruited athletes from other sports to add to the lineup.

“I honestly think it's really cool because I literally came in the same way,” said senior Lucy Magee.

Delmarva Christian’s experience will be on the back line in 2025, with returning seniors Walls and Avery Palmer as half of the last line of defense.

“I like the group of girls we have this year,” Palmer said.  “Genuinely, I think it's my most favorite group so far, so we're just excited to have fun.”

Palmer also has a lot of trust in an underclassmen-led offense.

“We have Maddie Taylor, and she's incredible. I definitely think she and Eva Elliott will work the offense,” Palmer said. “That's our strength this year.”

Cross country runner Breanna Perry is trying her hand at soccer for the first time and is settling in nicely for her senior year. She credits her teammates for bringing her along.

“They help me out a lot,” Perry said. “They're just so great.”

Coach Curtis Jones will be tasked with putting the pieces together and has liked what he has seen so far.

“We lost a lot of seniors last year, so to one extent, this year feels a little bit like a rebuilding year, even though we have a lot of the same faces,” Jones said. “We have a few that have come out that have never played before, so we are introducing them to the game. It’s going to be an interesting mix of some veterans with some new folks.”

Delmarva Christian’s season kicks off at 4 p.m. Tuesday, March 25, at Lake Forest.