When the girl’s soccer team walked off of the field at Kelly Reeves Stadium, it marked the end of their playoff season and marked an important point in history for the group. The team made it to the fifth round and became regional finalists for the first time in 25 years. The last playoff game at which they were defeated 0-6 was on April 9.

“We thought [it] was incredible, honestly, and we used that to drive us to go further and further,” senior center back Jayla Roashe said. “Once we won districts, we thought we were gonna go to playoffs, but we didn’t think we were gonna make it that far. So, doing that was just incredible.” 

Although making it this far, the season had its fair share of close calls and mistakes. The team was close to ending the season short during their third game against Cy Woods. For most of the game, the score was 0-1 until the girls made a comeback in the second half and ended the game 2-1. 

“In the last half, we tend to always make a comeback,” junior left wing Ashley Wilson said. “I think that was the highlight – when we scored one and then in the very last 10 minutes we scored another.” 

Tensions ran high during every game as supporters watched history in the making. All eyes were on the team this year and the attention and support never went unnoticed by the team. 

“In previous years, soccer for girls wasn’t as big as it is this year. I feel like we really developed a culture between us and everybody else that goes here,” senior goalkeeper Morgan Baltodano said. “That was really cool to see, because for all the years I’ve been playing, we’ve never gotten that much attention.” 

As the game began, the team felt connected with the crowd and coaches as they showed support and cheered them on from the sides. The game started like any other and the team displayed their good teamwork throughout the first half of the game. 

“[What] made the game good was all the motivation from our coach from the sideline, the constant cheering from the stands, the stand leaders showing up, the cheerleaders, and our parents keeping the energy high,” Roashe said. 

As the last playoff game progressed, it became one of the hardest for the team. Everything seemed to be going against them – from the weather to the injuries of some members. 

“I was really disappointed, because I thought I was gonna be able to play the rest of it. I got pulled off because I was injured, so I didn’t get to play the rest” Baltodano said. 

In the second half of the game, the exhaustion and the score got into the team’s head and their teamwork diminished. This affected the team’s mood as a whole and reflected on their performance and the final score. 

“Throughout the game, obviously, being down for the first time in a long time, it was hard to keep going,” Roashe said. “Eventually the score did get under our skin, and we let it get in our heads. We kind of just shut down at a point towards the end of the game.”

Even though they did not make it to state, the team and coaches are still proud of their accomplishments and are proud to know that they made history this season. 

“I’m just proud of everyone. I’m sad about the seniors leaving, but I’m really proud of how far we made it and how we got a lot closer this year,” Wilson said.