By the time you read this, the Clear Creek girls soccer team has already played its first game.

The team had one week of practice, where field-time was difficult to come by because of other spring sports also starting, as well as the football team needing to practice for its post-season game.

The soccer team was scheduled to play its first game Tuesday.

Usually, the regular season is almost over by now, Coach Dan Ebert said. But this year, it’s just getting started.

“It’s going to be short and fast,” Ebert said of the season. “We have 10 games scheduled, and I hope we get to play all of them.”

Practices officially started April 26 and the regular season ends June 11. If Clear Creek advances to the playoffs, it will extend even further into the summer.

Senior forward Elsie Gothman said it will be weird to graduate on May 22 and then come back to finish out the regular season and possibly more.

“I’m just glad I have a season,” Gothman said. “… It feels normal. We don’t have to worry about COVID as much (because we’re spread out).”

Both Gothman and freshman forward Rylie Young said they were surprised at how well all the players were clicking even though Friday was only the team’s fifth practice, and several girls were coming off other sports.

There’s still a lot of work to do, they said, with Gothman describing how communication needs work while Young added that Clear Creek has to improve on more technical aspects of play.

This is the program’s largest team in several years, Ebert said, with 22 players. There are two seniors and a large concentration of juniors, he explained, adding that they only have one year of high school experience because they didn’t have a sophomore season.

“A lot of them haven’t touched a soccer ball in two years,” Ebert continued.

Young, who transferred to Clear Creek two months ago from Evergreen, said all her teammates have been very inclusive toward her and the other newcomers. She emphasized that everyone connects well both on and off the field.

Ebert agreed that the players have formed strong bonds, and the freshmen have seamlessly become part of the group.

While the team has a lot of heart, he said players still need to work on passing and ball control. Games are won and lost not by the team that shoots better but by the team that passes better, he said.

The new surface at Golddigger Stadium is a bonus, with Ebert commenting, “It’s so nice to practice on and play on.”

With the regular season already underway, Ebert described how Clear Creek plays one of the toughest schedules in Class 2A. The Golddiggers are scheduled to play several ranked opponents, and Ebert believes they have a chance to win.

After Tuesday’s first game at Nederland, Clear Creek is scheduled to play a Thursday home game against Union Colony.