Excelsior Springs soccer coach Brett McKenzie saw his varsity girls squad take a step forward last week.After dropping their season opener to Mid-Buchanan 2-1 March 24 on the road, the Excelsior Springs girls lost their home and Greater Kansas City Suburban Conference-Blue Division opener to Smithville 3-0. Against Mid-Buchanan, the Tigers “were dangerous” during the first half, but they “faded,” McKenzie said. They played “much, much better” in their March 26 meeting with Smithville, he commented.“I’m very happy with kind of the growth just from Tuesday,” McKenzie said minutes after facing the Warriors. “It shows that we definitely have the ability to continue to grow and be a dangerous team – hopefully, when the playoffs roll around. We’ve got a long ways to go, though.”That growth was in keeping with the progress McKenzie saw from the Tigers last season, as was evident from their two meetings with Smithville. The War...