Into two lines they break, jogging from one side of the field to the other. They file out once they reach the sideline and back into the same two lines.

After a couple of laps, they smack their hands to their legs, then clap like the beginning of Queen’s “We Will Rock You.” While it’s only warmups, the Lady Trojans are in sync.

North Hardin was on the outside looking in just a few years ago, finishing 6-10-2, but it’s the chemistry of these Lady Trojans that has them back in the hunt in the fifth region.

The team boasts only three seniors, but many of the players have played for as much as three years together.

“Every year we learn more about each other so it gets more comfortable on the field,” junior goalkeeper Hannah Jeffries said. “We communicate more. The longer you play together, you don’t even have to say, ‘pass it over here,’ they pass it because they know you’re gonna be there.”

Looked over by some in the region, North Hardin proved itself early by notching a couple of big wins. In their first game, the Lady Trojans defeated the highest ranked team in their history, a 2-1 win over Oldham County, ranked No. 10 in the coaches’ poll.

North Hardin sprinted out with six straight wins, defeating the No. 20 ranked team, East Jessamine 1-0, en route to winning the Lady Cat Classic. The Lady Trojans were the leader of receiving votes in the poll the following week.

“Everybody used to look at us as one of the underdogs in the district,” junior midfielder Ashley Corum said. “Beating the ranked teams kinda put us up there. They know we’re playing soccer and not just out there messing around.”

The team fell into a funk thereafter, four of its next six games.

“They were really exhausted,” coach Hayley Yourous said. “I’m not sure if it was just, they were tired, what was going on, I don’t think anybody really knew. We took some time off. I took a day here, took a day there and now we’re starting to work our way up the mountain. We got to see a lot of our weaknesses in those games that we lost. We just kinda came together as a team and decided what we were going to work on.”

Yourous has developed her team over the past few years with a strong work ethic. She said the team the team spends six days a week on the field, whether its practicing or for a game. The team never takes two days off in a row.

Along with the dedication, Yourous credits the players’ mind set even when things aren’t going well.

“They don’t usually get down on themselves,” she said. “They don’t get down on each other. ‘Oh you made a mistake, I’m gonna pick you up,’ kind of attitude. The attitude that they can beat anyone on any given day. They go out every game to win, no matter what, even on days that they don’t have a good game. They walk off the field, they’re upset, they move on.”

The Lady Trojans also know that they have the firepower to keep up with opponents even after falling behind, echoing the new perspective.

“It used to be that we’d get scored on once and we’d kinda give up,” Jeffries said. “Now, we get scored on and we know that we’re getting that back. Our attitude towards the whole game has changed since I’ve been here.”

This team has already shown its resilience in its physical play, led by sophomore defender Hope Weaver and senior stopper Jessicca Massengale.

“We’re very physical,” junior midfielder Katie Edwards said. “We’re stronger. Our core is stronger than a lot of other teams. Just being strong and in shape is a big advantage over a lot of teams.”

The Lady Trojans also possess more speed than in past years.

“It’s the first year we’ve ever had this kind of speed,” Yourous said. “We’re beating people to the ball. We’re more aggressive but we’ve always been an aggressive team. We’re going after every ball, trying to win every ball.”

North Hardin has been trying to get its swagger back since its first loss. But as the season draws to a close, the Lady Trojans are mending the areas they feel can help them advance into the playoffs.

“There’s something that we always need to work on daily,” Massengale said. “We need to keep playing as a team and pick each other up through the game. We just need to work hard and communicate on and off the field and just play like we know how to play soccer.”

The Lady Trojans just hope their season ends as well as it started.