The month of November is a time of reflection for students at MHS who play a fall sport. Fall Sports Awards were held on the 16th. It was a great opportunity for players, coaches, and parents to come together to celebrate the hard work that has been put into the season. Although all sports had many successful triumphs this year, there is one team in particular that has exceeded expectations: the girls soccer team.
Their pre-season started in June with daily conditioning and weekly practices. Although the field consisted of eager girls ready to play, it could not be ignored that they were a very young team. After the 2022 season, the Warriors graduated 11 seniors from the lineup; leaving juniors, Anna Morgan, and Izzy Drake to step up as the new captains for the team. Despite the initial inexperience, there was still an undeniable talent that made up the varsity roster.
The first time the team came together in a game-like setting was during the annual Shoot-out tournament in mid-July. Although the team did not pull through with many victories, the scrimmages gave the girls a sense of confidence in the team’s ability to do well in the coming season.
The Warriors played in the season-opener against CHCA on August 19th, with a 1- 0 victory. Despite many important wins, there were a few games in particular that characterized the Girls into the successful team they are known to be.
The first critical victory was against Ross High School on August 22nd. This team had prevailed over the Warriors the year prior by several goals. However, this did not affect the morale of the players. After a long and hard battle on the turf, the Warriors pulled out a win: 2-1.
Photo by boosters club instagram
The second critical game the team faced was against Lehman Catholic High School on September 2nd. After an hour-long bus ride, the girls had a slow start to mid-afternoon game. To add, the game was on grass, different from the synthetic turf the Warriors are used to. At half time, the team was down 1-3. At this point, it could have been easy to give up and let down hope, but this was not the case. The girls came back onto the field with intensity. After another 40 minutes of good play, the Warriors made an unbelievable comeback and won 5-4. This win showed the girls that they could achieve the impossible with the right mindset.
A final important game before the team advanced into the tournament was against the Batavia Bulldogs on September 18th. To add to the young team’s disadvantages, Batavia has out-sized Mariemont, making the win become harder to pursue. This is when the team began to build their resilience. Despite the uncertainties of the game such as the other team, the referees, etc, the team had now been distinguished as a hardworking group of girls that earned each win with attitude and toughness. With this mentality, the Warriors got a 3-0 win against Batavia.
While each game that Mariemont played affected their success, it is undeniable that the team atmosphere also played a critical role in their wins. Sophomore defender Ellie Holloway states, “I think we exceeded everyone’s expectations for the season… we had a great team environment and I think that really contributed to our overall success.”
Part of the impressive environment was the team bonding that brought the girls together. One example is when the captains organized a fake sleepover in Kusel Stadium to surprise the head coach at an early practice. Another example is the many team dinners that are hosted by members of the team before big games. The girls gather together to share their excitement and strategy for the match.
Outside midfielder Miller Spreen talks about her love for the team by stating, “This team’s bond is truly unbreakable and we use our bond to fuel our successes.” Spreen also continues to say that “We are a young team and people don’t think we are ready for a challenge… but we were an underdog team that crawled our way to so much success and exceeded other team’s view on us.”
One can conclude that the bond that the Warriors share is something that gave the girls great success in their 2023 season.
The tournament started on October 19th with a win against Georgetown highschool, the Girls made an impressive run until the regional semis.
The unfortunate loss concluded a great season, earned by the hardworking Mariemont girls soccer team.
