Catasauqua head girls’ soccer coach Kayla Cunningham has set some lofty goals for her club.

Their main priority is to make the District 11 playoffs. The Rough Riders had an overall 3-5 record and were in eighth place in the Class 2A bracket.

“We try to get one percent better every day,” said the first-year head coach. “We really want to make the postseason. We have been focused on that since the beginning of summer, and you can see the difference.

“We really want to work on finishing more games and being more consistent.”

Cunningham was referring to a recent 1-0 loss to Notre Dame (Green Pond), but the Roughies followed that with a 6-1 loss to Moravian Academy.

“That game was frustrating,” said Cunningham in reference to the Notre Dame game. “We knew we would have a tough game against Moravian Academy.

“We had a good comeback victory over Tamaqua in which we were losing 3-0 and won 4-3. We have a good group of seniors and we will look to lean on them. They are taking a big leadership role.”

Senior Aidan Gerhard sees an optimistic outlook down the stretch,

“I think the season is going extremely well so far,” she said. ‘We’re improving a lot and working better as a unit. Not only do I think we could win a few more games, but we also have a fair chance of making it into districts this year.

“Coach Cunningham is a fantastic coach. We are all so happy to have her with us. She challenges the team every day we step onto the field, and she is always eager to show us new moves, and teach new skills.”

Fellow senior Sydney Gebhardt also envisions a positive finish.

“So far the season has gone much better than last year,” she stated. “We have been winning games that we were supposed to lose, which has given the team a lot more drive to work.

“Coach Cunningham works us extremely hard, and it shows with the outcomes of challenging games. The girls have an extremely hard work ethic, and being a senior-oriented team, there is so much drive to win.

“We have a small team of about 20 girls, and there is still tons of room for improvement. We all believe we can make districts.”