By Carina George
Overcoming all odds, Guyer soccer girls took home the win against Rockhill, securing their spot in the playoffs. This posed a big challenge for them, since last year eight of the team starters graduated and went to college. This left them with only five returning Varsity players. Every player had to work harder individually and as a team to gain the level of performance from the year before. Keeping this in mind, the girls are extremely proud of what they have accomplished.
The girls credit a large part of their success to their coaches, Mandy Hall and Kim Eason. They spend a lot of time after school working on planning out and executing strategies that will help the team win. Their leadership proved everyone wrong and took the team to the playoffs.
For the playoffs game, the girls faced Marcus high school on March 24, in the Max Goldsmith Stadium. This proved to be a difficult game, with Marcus holding the title of the second ranked team out of District 5-6A. Guyer soccer girls were able to hold them off for an impressive amount of time. During the last four minutes of the match, Marcus managed to score the winning goal, wrapping up the season for the Guyer girls. The Wildcats refused to let Marcus’s rankings take away their confidence. This resulted in a difficult game for both teams. The outcome of this competition left both teams emotional.
The soccer team didn’t leave with nothing though. Over their time in the program, they have been taught amazing life lessons. Being in Guyer soccer, Madi says she has learned to keep working hard no matter what, since it is never known when a chance will come, ”In my situation I had days where I wanted to quit and knew that I wasn’t going to get any chances, but then I got to play in the two most important games of our entire season and it was amazing,” she said. Because of her hard work even when she wasn’t playing, the coaches trusted her and knew she could handle any challenge. Emerson claims that being a part of the team has shown her that, “change is okay! This year when we had only five returning varsity players I was so nervous, but our team was so united, all of the girls became my best friends!”
Varsity player Madi Anderson claims that being a part of Guyer soccer, they share a close bond with each other. When asked what her favorite part about being in soccer was, varsity player Emerson Garcia replied, “Guyer Soccer has given me a family. It’s given me relationships that I will never forget, and I feel like I have a ton of older sisters that will support me and encourage me!” Madi also answered similarly. “I love the girls that I get to call my team. This team is by far the most inclusive and fun team I’ve ever been on. We truly are a family and we love each other so much.”
Because of the friendship they share, ending this season was much more impactful for them. Both Madi and Emerson consider one of their most memorable experiences together to be the trip to Georgetown. The team had gone in order to participate in a tournament. “ We had to travel on a big charter bus with no phones and the whole team played so many fun games on the way to Georgetown and we just got to know each other on a deeper level,” Emerson recalled. Although the relationship the team had with each other was a main reason for their advancement into the playoffs, it led to the consequences of an emotional time after their loss to Marcus.
Though it’s true that being in the Guyer soccer team can be demanding, both girls have found a way to balance their education with athletics. The hardest part, they said, is the fact that practice takes up some of the time after or before school that students need to make up work. They consider that the key is to find moments where there is nothing to do, even if it’s only 10 minutes, and fully commit to the work for those 10 minutes. “I am pretty good in school for the most part, and I won academic all district this year so hopefully I can keep that going next year as well”, Madi stated. Emerson explained that, “It is difficult at times to balance soccer with school work and there’s definitely a lot of long nights of studying or completing homework. However, I prioritize my grades and take great pride in having good grades,” She also commented that she has learned how to manage her time and complete her homework, while also attending all of her soccer practices and games.
The Guyer girls soccer team’s skill, dedication, and teamwork has contributed to their success on and off the field. As the seniors leave and new players arrive, the girls will forever be bonded together because of the countless amount of hours they spent together. Being a part of the program, the girls have become more than just teammates. They are family.
