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By KEVIN ECKLEBERRY

Daily News

It would have been a short-and-sweet senior-day ceremony.

Troup High’s girls’ soccer team didn’t get to have a senior day since the season was cut short because of the coronavirus pandemic.

If there had been a ceremony, there would have only been one player on the girls’ team recognized.

Amanda McCartney, a four-year member of the varsity soccer program, was the lone senior on a team that made some solid strides under first-year head coach Caroline Jeffers.

Jeffers, who came to Troup after a stellar soccer career at Florida State University, appreciated everything that McCartney brought to the team this spring.

“She was our captain, not only because she was a senior, but on and off the field she was the best leader,” Jeffers said. “We knew that we made the right decision making her captain.”

McCartney helped the Lady Tigers win three games, which was their highest win total since 2015.

Troup won four games in the previous three years combined, and that included a winless 2018 season.

“We had our ups and downs through the years, but especially this year, we really learned to work together as a team, we improved together, and we actually won some games, and we only got mercy-ruled a few times,” McCartney said. “It was nice to see that we got it together more and more.”

Troup (3-9) was preparing for a home game against Region 5-AAAA opponent Cedartown when the season was postponed, and later canceled.

“We’d gotten pretty far into our season, which was nice,” McCartney said. “The weather, it was so rainy, and so many of our games got canceled or postponed, but it was nice to get to play as much as we did.”

McCartney took on an expanded leadership role this season, and that’s something she enjoyed.

“All of the girls on the soccer team are so great,” McCartney said. “It was really nice to have that leadership role my last year, and I bonded with all the younger girls. They’re going to have to do it next year. So that was really nice.”

Jeffers was appreciative of the leadership McCartney showed during the season, and beforehand.

“She showed up every day and worked really hard, in the offseason as well and into the season,” Jeffers said.