By Maisie Samuels ’23
When a long, sometimes tiring school day comes to an end, the time for practice arrives. At 3:30pm every day a group of girls come together to take part in a challenging yet rewarding sport called soccer. Family is the only word that comes to mind when talking about the team, with no other than Jessica Lyon as the team’s mother. They started the season with a vast range of experiences amongst the girls and although that still stands, there is no denying the progress that has been made per person.
The girls start their practice with a mildly displeasing bus ride to South Street and from there, jump straight into their warmups. Running around the field as a team and doing dynamic stretches may be a slightly irritating way to get into the spirit but, bar a few verbal complaints, the girls understand that being warm and preparing your muscles is crucial and therefore do it with no hesitation. Now that the team recognizes the routine that takes place for practice, they are very willing and capable of getting the ball rolling, quite literally, with some triangle passes. To do this, the girls form groups of threes and begin to work on one-touch and two-touch passes.
When the team needs a break or water, they can make their way over to the bench where there is always water, provided by one of the team members. Every week a new person is assigned one of the following items to bring on the bus: cones, pinnies, balls, water or the med kit. This is a great way for the girls to build up a sense of responsibility and selflessness.
Of course, the hardwork and dedication taken place during practice is only preparation for one thing…games! Although the season has not gone exactly as planned in terms of wins and losses, the team has taken home wins in the two most recent games which only emphasizes the progress made over these past weeks. As Coach Lyon said, “Our players continue to develop skills each time they practice and we’ve become a solid team because of the attitude everyone brings to the field”.
“My favorite thing about being a coach is the ability to build relationships with my players”, it is truly visible to see how close the team is with not only their coach but each other as well. The team is extremely supportive of one another and a prime example of this is when they give shoutouts. They are “an opportunity to give a teammate recognition on the spot creating a strong positive vibe amongst our team”, Lyon stated.
The Highlander 