Girls Soccer Reflects as the Fall Season Comes to A Close
BOSTON, MASS - Girls soccer has had an eventful season of growth, as the fall season has ended, the team reflects and prepares for the next season.
Through the season of warm colored foliage and cool breezes in the air, girls soccer performed in their second season. Gemma Worley ‘25, co-captain of the team and Delila Wardwell ‘27 have been interviewed to speak and reflect on their experiences throughout the season. “I started playing my sophomore year (the previous season), which was also when the team started. Since we didn’t have a girls team, I played on the boys team until then.” Worley commented.
Worley and Wardwell had also remarked on how much progress they had made from the past season. The team had only won one game last season, in their first year as a team, but had almost made it to the playoffs this season. Worley reflected, “There were definitely teams at higher levels, but the losses showed us what we needed to work on, we ended up winning around 4 or 5 games which is a really good improvement from last year.” Wardwell weighed in, “last year was also a bit less organized, being a new team, but this year was more put together, so we won more games.”
“I feel like we also had more enthusiasm to play this year and it’s been a really collaborative experience,” Wardwell added. The players shared how the team got to work together and come closer throughout the fall and how, though the season got harder, it showed their progress and how far they got through the time from their first year. Worley talked of this point, she said, “It’s been like really fun, seeing it come together. Obviously, coming to the school I didn’t see much with soccer because there was no girls team, but now I think it’s probably my favorite part of school, being able to meet kids from other grades that I wouldn’t have necessarily met in other clubs.”
The players both mentioned how much they enjoyed the team, and how it gave them the opportunity to meet different friends throughout the grades. “It’s really nice to be able to meet upperclassmen, especially as one of the underclassmen on the team, it’s really meaningful.” Wardwell commented. Continuing to mention how collaborative and sociable the team was. Worley also built on this, “[Soccer is] something I look forward to every single fall, even though I have to get home late and then do my homework, it’s something that I really appreciate. It definitely really broadened my friend group at Newman.”
They also mentioned how close they all got with their coach, Ms. Hannah Schafer, grades 7 and 8 dean of students. “We love Ms. Schafer, and she’s obviously been like good at keeping the vibe up and the mood up, like if we lose a game, it doesn’t feel like a complete loss for the team, and obviously, you have to take that and build on that, but she’s very good at like making the team a team.” Worley commented.
The players also mentioned that they are hopeful for the next season, one of continuously growing. Wardwell said, “I think we have more of a full roster next year with new people coming in, so that’ll be really fun.” Worley added, “Hopefully, we can build on the past years, it’s definitely not going to go downhill, it’s only going to go uphill.” The team is hopeful and excited for the next seasons to come.
Available in the Winter 2024 Print Edition