Cheers and names of players are yelled loudly while bodies shuffle forward to see the list of players who made the varsity women’s soccer team. Six freshman left the breezeway feeling very happy that day.
Freshman Sabrina Grammer was one of the players who made the varsity soccer team.
“I was experiencing a lot of nervousness during tryouts and went into it thinking I wouldn’t make the team,” Grammer said.
Grammer said that when people first told her she had made the team she could not believe it.
“Everyone was screaming ‘you made varsity’ and I was like ‘what no way’, so I checked the list myself and saw my name was actually there,” Grammer said.
Grammer, as well as women’s varsity soccer players freshmen Ceci Brien and Fiona Hunter, have been playing since a young age.
“I have been playing soccer with a lot of the girls who were trying out for the team since I was really little, which made tryouts a bit more comfortable,” Grammar said.
Hunter said that it was scary playing with kids in older grades at first, but once the season started that feeling subsided.
“Playing and meeting with people in different grades has actually been really cool,” Hunter said. “The seniors are all really nice and have never made me feel less than for being a freshman.”
Brien said that the team has been really welcoming and has had a big focus on bonding.
“There’s already a general sense of bonding throughout the team,” Brien said. “We had our first team dinner on Sunday and it was really fun.”
Brien said that the reason she loves soccer so much is because of the emphasis it has on being a team sport.
“The fact that we are all working together for a common goal is a really cool thing,” Brien said.
Like Brien, Grammer said her favorite part about soccer is its orientation around being a team sport.
“Being a team with people is my favorite part about the sport, you grow really close with people and are practically sisters,” Grammer said.
Team captain senior Leah Kochendoerfer said that the freshman are doing a great job adjusting to the team.
“Because they are freshman and everything is new and exciting, they add a lot of spirit to the team,” Kochendoerfer said.
Kochendoerfer herself joined the varsity team her freshman year, and said that each year of playing on the team comes with both physical and mental growth.
“When I was a freshman I was tiny,” Kochendoerfer said. “There’s this whole aspect of intimidation where you’re a thirteen year-old playing against eighteen year-olds.”
As team captain, Kochendoerfer’s main goal for the season is to create a team dynamic where everyone feels respected and included.
“I’ve noticed over the years that when a team is bonded it not only shows off the field but on the field as well,” Kochendoerfer said. “When you have that mutual trust, you play a lot better together.”
