The Andalusia Bulldog soccer team (6-1) have put together a strong first half of the season, but know it’s time to turn it up a notch heading in the season’s final stretch.

“I really like the way that we are playing right now,” Andalusia head soccer coach Jarret Williamson said. “The start of the season we were a little sloppy and slower. It’s kind of taken us the year to really figure each other out. Now, we understand each other and the players are buying into the whole team aspect side of it.”

That growth from the players is what Williamson said was a strong suit for the Bulldogs.

“At the start of the year, I wouldn’t say we played bad, but we weren’t playing to our potential,” Williamson said. “You see that in a lot of teams, but especially for us with two new coaches. The kids have grown and we have grown as coaches. That’s been a big factor this season.”

The Bulldogs are currently 2-0 in area play after beating Satsuma and Citronelle.

“It’s a very competitive area,” Williamson said. “I like the way that we have been playing, but we have to just take it one game at a time. We have been playing our best soccer of the season lately, and this is the time of year you want to do that. We have done a good job, but we have to continue to bring it every game. You have to show up for every area game. The stakes are higher and there is just a different feeling in those area games.”

Williamson said that with him being new to the game of soccer, it helps to have talented kids that know how to play.

“There are a lot of talented soccer players at Andalusia,” Williamson said. “Andalusia and the community as a whole have done a great job getting them playing early with programs here. That really helps us get great players when they are in high school.”

Although Williamson said they have done a good job with it, he said the Bulldogs need to continue to work on winning the little things.

“We are just continuing to preach the importance of taking advantage of the little opportunities,” Williamson said. “We have to work on winning more 50-50 balls. These kids have shown that they can be tough when they want to be. We want to play defense through our offense. We want to constantly keep pressure on their end. Over the course of a game, you can wear the other team down if the are having to chase you around the field all night.”

The Bulldogs will host Thomasville for an area match on April 4 with the junior varsity starting at 5 p.m.

The varsity game will begin around 6:30 p.m.

On April the 7, the Bulldogs will host the Satsuma Gators for an area match.

“We just have to keep doing what got us to this point,” Williamson said. “We have made it here and now it’s time for us to prepare for the final stretch.”