After a successful 16-6 season last year and making the playoffs, the Freedom girls soccer team set high expectations for themselves this year. Even with the pressure of such expectations, the girls have managed to enter this season and live up to the name they made for themselves. 

“I think we just had to come with the attitude knowing that we’ve had success in the years past, but there is still work to be done to keep that going. I think we accomplished this by working well as a team and bringing confidence game after game in order to get the job done and win games,” one of the team’s captains, senior Julia Mohrbacher said.

The team had to come into this season knowing they had a name to live up to, but they could not let that hinder their performance. There were many things the girls had to prepare for heading into the season. However, they managed to fight hard throughout the year and have an impressive record to show for it. 

“We started off with a very good preseason warm-up and notified the players a little bit about where they are going to play, and it’s obviously paid off,” Head Coach Colin Williams said.

The Bulldog’s current record this year is 14-4, and they are 10-0 in their conference. The girls were also named section champions, claiming their eighth consecutive section title. This could not have been done without the individual effort of everyone on the team. Each player has contributed in their own way, and without this and the group effort, the success the team has had would not have been possible.

“Each practice we are helping each other on things that we can do better in games and working off each other,” junior Shaye Bailey said.

After a heartbreaking 4-3 loss to the West Allegheny Indians at home on Sept. 15, the Bulldogs were on the road two days later, on Sept. 17, where they bounced back against Sewickley Academy. The Bulldogs upset the Panthers with a score of 10-0. This win seemed to spark some momentum within the Freedom squad, as they would go on to win their next six games, keeping up a seven-game win streak.

Unfortunately, this impressive winning streak would come to an end when the girls hosted Avonworth for their senior night. On Oct. 10, Freedom fell to the Antelopes 5-0.  Even though they took a loss in this game, they did not let that stop them in their future games. The girls managed to finish out their season on a good note.

The girls soccer team has clearly had an impressive season thus far.  With an undefeated record in their section, the Bulldogs also have high hopes for their postseason. They are hoping to make it all the way to the finals and win, and they believe they have the skill to do so.

“We’re looking forward to going all the way. We think we can do that. It’s about time, it’s been a few years since we got to the final,” Williams said.