Even though COVID-19 kept them apart, the girl’s soccer team is back on the feild and more united than ever.
The Ojai Valley School girls soccer team returned to the field on Wednesday April 21 against Beacon Hill. This marked the return of OVS soccer games in over a year.
This season would not have been possible without the hard work of juniors Catie Jo Larkin and Alex Alvarez, and freshman Emma Watanabe.
The three girls, determined to have a season despite the pandemic, gathered enough players to make a team in one single day. Then, thanks to Ms. Wachter volunteering to be the coach, they were able to play. “We were a little worried.” said Emma before going into their first game. “But we said, you know what, let’s just go out there and have fun.”
The team played 5- a side, which is a variant of soccer with 5 players per team instead of 11, and on a smaller field with smaller goals.
The game was off to a great start as Alex scored to tie the game, stealing the ball from the defender and landing the ball gracefully inside the opposing team’s goal. Donahi Soriano starred as a goalie, making some great saves. It was her first time ever being in goal, and the support from her teammates made the experience spectacular. “ We are really a supportive team,” said Donahi. “They (the juniors) really help us out by pointing out what we are doing well, and what we should do differently. We learn from every game and teach each other.”
Multiple students and faculty came to cheer on the girls. The baseball team also was full force yelling and chanting throughout the entire game to show their support.
The final score was 8-1 to Beacon Hill. Even though the score wasn’t what the team wanted, the hard work they put in was evident and they were thankful to be back on the field.
There was stark improvement from the first game to the second. The girls showed determination playing in the heat and still working as hard as they could. Beacon hill also played a very strong game with an unbeatable defense strategy. The final score was 4-0 to Beacon Hill. Catie Jo showed incredible leadership, constantly encouraging the team and helping them learn the game. Once again much like the first game, the baseball team was the main cheer section and Donahi was a star in goal.
Before this season, four of the 14 girls on the team had never even played soccer before, and many other members had little experience with soccer or had never played 5- a side. This didn’t stop them from working hard to improve. Every member of the team encourages each other and does whatever they can do to help one another succeed, which is part of what makes the OVS Girls Soccer Team one of a kind.
The juniors on the team hope that the sense of unity and supportiveness will carry on far past they graduate, and that the soccer team will continue to help students discover their passion for the sport. “We’re hoping to have some girls when we eventually graduate continue the soccer team and get girls to love soccer,” said Alex.
This girls soccer season has been very different than in past years. The team is different, the game is different, and the desire the players have is different. The players showed their longing to have a season by gathering players and organizing a team, which made the season possible. They worked hard to improve and encourage each other.
“I think we were all looking for a place to come together as a community to play soccer, and having the upcoming freshman step up and join the team was very nice, ” explained Catie Jo. “This year we are a lot closer. I am so proud of this team.”