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| photo by Lindsay Wittell, Wagon Trails Yearbook Staff |
by Cassidy Kelley
With over 3.5 billion fans, soccer (or as the Europeans call it ‘football’) is said to be the most popular sport worldwide. For some, it’s life. But for now, for girls on the MHS Girls Varsity team, they’re just enjoying the game.
September 19 the MHS girls’ Varsity soccer team has been named the 2012 Mid-State Athletic Conference Champions. Winning against Plainfield with their 5-4 OT penalty kick victory, Coach Jason Damron, his staff and the entire Lady Pioneers soccer program have something incredible to celebrate.
Senior Megan Small is team captain with juniors Alex Langford and Emilee Eickman.
“I really like the team aspect of the game,” Small said. “You get really close through the wins and the losses.”
For all the girls, their goal this year is to pass sectionals. For Coach Jason Damron however, he believes that they can go all the way to state. He says their passionate about the game and keep a positive attitude. He wants to teach his girls to do what’s right in a situation on the field, and to learn from experience.
Freshman Liz Young, an outside defender, is the youngest team member on Varsity. Even though she doesn’t get much playing time, she still values it with a positive outlook.
“It is good experience,” Young said. “It broadens my horizon.”
Junior Alex Langford looks forward to the rest of her third season for playing for the school. For thirteen years she has played soccer, and always loves the feeling of winning after a hard fought-game.
“We always try our hardest. And we want to keep a positive attitude,” Langford said.
Midfielders are one of the many positions they have on the field, but they carry the most responsibility with providing scoring opportunities. They only have three subs throughout the whole game, leaving Damron with having to sub them out very quickly so the girls don’t get extreme exhaustion.
“Field conditions, injuries and many other factors can affect the game,” Damron said.
Sophomore Kellie Cavanaugh has played for the school since seventh grade, but originally started out when she was five years old.
“It’s a release of stress,” Cavanaugh said. “It’s a way to escape everything.”
Her personal goal for the season is to have the most assists, but she also wants to help the team in making their senior team members have a memorable last year.
Adele Hunter-Shields, Megan Small, Katie Hannah, Logan Bowling, Marisa Sims, Rachel Justus and Cadie Goings are going through their last season of the game for MHS. This is Cadie Goings’ first and last year on the team, but she wants to make the most of it.
“The senior class was the first class that was really strong” Damron said. “All of the girls have been on Varsity since they were freshmen. You can’t replace experience.”
I am a member of a team, and I rely on the team. I defer to it and sacrifice for it, because the team, not the individual, is the ultimate champion.
-American female soccer player Mia Hamm
