By Avery Goldman
Photo by Avery Goldman
The Willow semi-finalist Lady Lions soccer team has high hopes for this year’s upcoming season, despite losing half of its team. Last year, there were 29 players on varsity, 14 of whom were practiced seniors. However, with those 14 girls now having graduated, the team hopes the remaining teammates and new players can prove themselves a more than adequate replacement.
“A worry of mine is that we lost 14 players this year,” said sophomore Liliana Gonzalez. “Last season we had lots of seniors, and they were all talented and great. I’m confident in our team, but I’m worried we’re going to have some trouble since half our team graduated.”
Another hurdle for the team is that they were moved up from Division Three into Division Two.
“Every couple of years, they reassign the school district based on their size,” sophomore Adelaide Egle explained. “Our school has grown since the last assignment, so we’ve moved up to Division Two and into a new district. Overall, the competition will be much harder than last year, and losing 14 seniors makes that a little more daunting.”
Through all these challenges, the girls stay positive and still have hope.
“I would say this year, we’re going in with the most chemistry among the team that we’ve had since I’ve been on this team my freshman year,” said Paige Zippert, a senior on the team. “So I would say, as far as communication goes, it’ll go well this year, especially since all of us are so close-knit.”
An additional positive is that the team, undoubtedly, has an abundance of school spirit.
“The player with the most spirit is definitely Paige Zippert,” Gonzalez said. “She’s always trying to get us excited for soccer, and she’s always so funny and friendly to talk to. Paige is always there to get us pumped up for games with her before game pep talks.”
“The team, at least last year, was very spirited and motivated when it came to winning games,” Lilah Matthews, a sophomore, said. “We gave pep talks to one another and bonded over bus rides to away games. We were really devoted to placing in the season last year, so this year, we are way more passionate about getting even further in the season.”
The girls are pumped up and exhilarated for this season’s upcoming possibilities. Matthews, the team’s goalie, said, “We’re gonna be great. Go, soccer!”
