The fall season for Mepham sports was a very impressive one. Many of the teams have displayed determination, hard work, effort, and teamwork to achieve some remarkable goals. Speaking of goals, the Mepham Girls Varsity Soccer Team has achieved many. The team was a part of the top ranked conference, and as of October 5th, they were tied in second place with Garden City, and only one point behind first place. The competition they faced each game was very tough, but the team always tried its hardest to put forth its best at games.
They had a huge and very impressive win against Garden City on October 4th, in which they won the game with a score of 2-1. This win demonstrated the hard work the team had put in, because just two weeks before, they had lost a game to Garden City. They took that loss and turned it into motivation for improvement. Junior Karlie Willix said, “We work to our maximum capacity during practice, fitness, and games, and we have bonded so much since tryouts in the last week of August.” She also said that the team usually has pasta dinners the night before most of the games to discuss strategy, and prepare each other for the game.
These girls played an excellent season. The Pirates made it to the playoffs this year, which is an incredible accomplishment in itself, but not only did they make it to the playoffs, they excelled during the games they participated in. At the end of October they played Long Beach in the first round of the playoffs. They won the game 4-0, and advanced to the quarter-finals. The competition continued to get tougher, but so did the team. They put all of their efforts into the quarter-finals. On October 30th, the team played Manhasset, and ended the game with a 3-1 win. After that impressive victory, the varsity team played an intense game against North Shore. They fought hard the whole game, and won the game in overtime with a score of 3-2. The team advanced to the county finals. They had a very impressive and memorable season.
It is very evident that there was a lot of talent on the team, but that talent was not the only reason for their success. It seems that the fact that the team had gotten so close over the past few months had impacted their success as well. Junior Nina Florio commented on the accomplishments of this team by saying, “The spirit and energy of this team is amazing, and every girl has a role that helps us achieve our goals.” This team had an excellent combination of talent, teamwork, commitment to the game and to each other which proved to be very effective. Based on the reports from some of the players as well as the results of the games, it is clear that this team is making Mepham very proud. Great job to all the members of the Mepham Girls Varsity Soccer team!