Last Tuesday, Mar. 30,  girls soccer lost a tough conference opener to Fort Zumwalt West. The final score was 1-0, and although this wasn’t an ideal outcome for the start of GACs, the girls are prepared for a meaningful season.

Senior Paige Vandaele explained how the girls never called it quits during the game, and kept fighting until the referee called the game. 

“Our game against Fort Zumwalt West was a very good game,” Vandaele said. “Our team played the best game of our season so far, but the results didn’t show it…We had played our butts off the whole game, never turning off the burners.”

Nevertheless, there are still improvements to make that will come with the season, such as building a team dynamic, according to senior Gillian Nicholson.

“We still have a few things to work on to make us even better than we are right now,” Nicholson said. “The team dynamic is improving because we are becoming more comfortable with each other as most of the people on varsity are new to that level.”

This year’s team is truly different with more than half the team being made up of underclassmen, making them unique and requires leadership in order to direct the team to victory.

“Personally, I have a very good feeling about this season. We are very young with having less than half the team being upperclassmen,” Vandaele said. “Being captain, I take a lot of responsibility in making sure everyone understands everything our coach wants. If they don’t, then I would want them to come to me asking any questions they have.”

Due to the team’s diversity among ages, there is a lot to say about the future bonds that will be made during the program according to Nicholson, as well as hopes to make it to state during her last season in high school soccer.

“I’m looking forward to creating new relationships with some of the underclassmen and forming bonds that will last a lifetime,” Nicholson said. “I am also hoping to do well in districts so we can make it to state one last time before I graduate.”

Certainly, there is a lot to look forward to and to look out for this season as girls’ soccer is kicking off this spring, but Vandaele is looking for growth throughout the program.

“Some hopes I have for this season would definitely be to grow as a team,” Vandaele said. “Both as individual players and a team as a whole.”