Since the start of the season, the girls’ varsity soccer team has maintained a record of five wins, four losses, and one tie, securing their place in the playoffs. They have also opened the season with new senior team captains: Mia Esquivel, Bella Kiliski, and Jacqueline Lowenhaupt (sports editor for The Classic).
The captains shared a reflection of their time on this team, along with their favorite memories. Bella said, “My favorite memory of this team has to be winning the 2022-2023 city championship division A title… All our hard work throughout our undefeated season paid off and we were able to celebrate the dedication we all had for the team and the long awaited win.” Similarly, captains Mia and Jacqueline shared that their favorite memories were also winning the championship. “A moment from the game I will never forget was hearing the crowd countdown from 10. As the crowd screamed ‘one’, the entire team ran and hugged each other…Our championship win along with the entire undefeated season showed us what we already knew, that hard work pays off,” Jacqueline said.
As captains, they must all take on new responsibilities for the season. “I lead by example, make sure I’m a person that my team can always rely on, and serve as a role model to my teammates,” Jacqueline said. Bella also said, “My responsibility as captain is not only to preach school and team spirit but to help my fellow teammates as much as possible…Overall, I feel that it is most important to make this team feel as if it is a family and welcome our new freshman into this family.”
Each captain has years of experience playing soccer, this includes four years on the varsity girls’ soccer team and years playing on outside teams. Despite their experience on the field, taking on the responsibility of team captain has come with many challenges. “Encouraging the team to stay strong is difficult, especially during hard parts of the game,” Mia said. Similarly, Jacqueline also faces the challenge of raising the team’s spirits “after the other team scores a goal.”
Although the fall sports season is nowhere near finished, the captains are not shy of accolades from their teammates. Junior Abigail Kronenberg and sophomore Sophia Lee both agreed that their captains are always happy to help as they are open to suggesting any improvements or adjustments that can be made for the better. Freshman Elena Molina said, “I admire that my captains are able to communicate with the rest of the team, during games and outside of games.”
As the season continues, the captains hope to fulfill their responsibilities and pass down their knowledge of soccer to the underclassmen. Junior Mishka Hans said that without the captain’s spirit, “we wouldn’t have a team that works and communicates well on the field.”
After securing a 1-0 win against Maspeth High School, the team is ready for their first playoff game on Saturday.. “I am excited to finish off the season strong,” said Mia.
