Spotlight on Varsity Girls Soccer

Even though the Varsity Girls Soccer team has been challenged this season with the loss of 5 players from their roster due to injuries, the girls have continued to fight their opponents and play strong together. After beginning their season in mid-February, the girls have battled their way to 7 wins, tied 2 games, and fell to their contenders in 7 games. The team is currently preparing for the TCIS Tournament which begins May 7th.

The roster of the team consists of 3 seniors, 1 junior, 9 sophomores, 5 freshmen, and 4 eighth graders. Since a majority of the team is made up of underclassmen, the girls soccer program will benefit from the young and talented girls in the years to come. The team also has 2 managers. Senior Captain Katie DiBona commented that their team “is very close to one another, and although we have a lot of young players on the team, it doesn’t affect our bond with one another.” Senior Captain Emily Ryan also expressed that the “team chemistry is very close and with younger players, they bring a lot of energy to the team.”

The successful style of soccer played by the girls can be credited, in large part, to their coaches. The head coach of the team is Kristina Lowry, and she is assisted by David Liebig, Jeffrey Reinhofer, and Taylor Smith. Coach Dave focuses on training the goalies, while Coach Tina works with the girls as a whole on how to be stronger players. Coach Taylor is the one who is “constantly making the team laugh and is always keeping practices fun,” said Senior Captain Jamie Friedman. The last coach, Coach Reinhofer, also known as “Rhino” to the girls, is another field coach who “always gives the team sunflower seeds on the sidelines.”

When the girls aren’t playing in a game, they are out on the field improving their skills and footwork. They practice each week on the field and once a week take part in a yoga session. Jamie explained how their “practices are always fun because they include games and a variety of drills, rather than focusing on just one exercise.” Jamie also commented that the team “spends time finding the perfect formation of the players that will work best to beat their upcoming opponents.”

Like any other team, the girls have many traditions that they have carried throughout their season. One of their biggest traditions is what they refer to as “secret sister” which was created as a fun way to get closer with their teammates. At the beginning of the season, names were randomly drawn by each girl to determine who they would have as their “secret sister.” What this means is that for every away game they have, each player brings in snacks and notes for their secret sister while keeping her identity a secret. Another tradition the team has is that they will often eat sunflower seeds and candy with the coaches.

Aside from their traditions, the girls have experienced many moments of exceptional playing that have helped them develop into a stronger team. Emily explained that the best moment for the team was “in the game against the Steward School; we had a really good sequence of passes and a good set up pass which led to a header goal. After that goal, the entire bench jumped up and cheered. This was the best moment for us because we used everything that we learned from practice to score that goal, and it was nice to see all of our work come together in that moment.”

As their season nears the end, the seniors Katie DiBona, Emily Ryan, and Jamie Friedman will be finishing off the soccer careers at Cape Henry. The 3 seniors hope to “leave behind a strong competitive team that pushes each other to become better and has fun while doing it” and that the soccer “program will continue to grow throughout the years.”