As young freshmen, players do not realize how quickly their high school career will come to an end after graduating. This was the experience for many of the seniors who were on the girls soccer team last year. With the loss of six seniors between this season and the last, the team already started off at a large deficit. Many of these graduated players were also extremely experienced competitors. However, this year’s team has gained five new faces to fill in the gaps left by last year’s graduates. These five freshmen will play a key role in the future of the program, especially for a team with a repeating history of a large number of upperclassmen.
“My goal as a freshman to help fill those spots is to make it to as many practices as I can and work with the upperclassmen so they can help me get better. I think freshmen are really important because they can become better and the future of the team,” freshman Olivia VanDeCar said.
Due to the departing of last year’s seniors, the team had to elect new captains to help lead this season. They decided to make the four seniors captains for this year. The four seniors are Shaye Bailey, Morgan Keller, Emma Falk and Maddy Meyer. Although these captains were starters last year, they now have to take on more responsibility in their new leadership positions.
“I was honored to be chosen as a captain because it means that my teammates look up to me as a player and a person. It also shows that my coaches have full trust in me and my fellow captains to take control and make the right decisions for our team to be successful. I feel that as a captain I am being asked to lead the team by example on and off the field, to set goals for my team and push everyone to accomplish those goals,” senior captain Morgan Keller said.
The team kicked off their season with a home scrimmage against Chartiers Houston on Aug. 19. The Bulldogs beat the Buccaneers by a score of 4-0, starting the season off on the right note. One week later, on Aug. 26, the girls headed to Avonworth to play their first official game. Unfortunately, the tables turned on the Bulldogs, as they lost this game by a score of 4-0. However, the girls soccer team did not let this loss deter them. On Aug. 28, they were able to bounce back from their previous loss by winning 6-2 against Sewickley Academy. The team rode this momentum into their next game on Aug. 30, where they beat the Riverside Panthers by a score of 4-0. The next game, the girls fell to Our Lady of the Sacred Heart in a 3-0 bout. This loss put them at an overall record of 2-2. Luckily, the Bulldogs were able to pull above .500 on Sept. 11, when they beat Mohawk in a 6-0 blowout. This game helped to show what this team is capable of, regardless of missing some key players who were on the roster the previous season.
Coming off of an excellent season last year, the team is expected to build on the legacy they have made throughout the past couple of seasons. The team has won the section title for eight consecutive years and were named WPIAL champions and PIAA runner-ups last year. They hope to achieve an even better resume for this year, and the girls are putting in the work to make it happen.