Photo taken by Brandon Wong.
This season’s girls soccer captains seniors Molly Sewell, Sara Dzaferagic and Olivia Donahue were eager to start their final season. All three athletes have known each other since they were freshmen, and have grown a close bond since.
They have all played soccer since they were young. Sewell started playing when she was six and Dzaferagic has been playing since she was around 12. They all loved being captains together, even though they had some disagreements. They are all excited to graduate this year.
Sewell plays center back, which is when a player plays in front of the goalie and has the responsibility of making sure the opposing team doesn’t receive a point. “I enjoy[ed] being captain,” Sewell stated and said she appreciated her role. She added that there are some negative parts, and that ”being a captain can take a lot of responsibilities.” The team had really good plays and she felt she played well considering they won most of the games.
Dzaferagic started playing center back like Sewell at the beginning of the summer. She also played mid-field, which she prefers. The position allows her to run around and be more active. While playing mid-field she gets to play defense and offense. Dzaferagic stated “I like to shift between both of the positions.”
Last year was one of the hardest years for them. With the height of Covid, they couldn’t play during their regular season and it was pushed back to spring. When the season started the girls weren’t able to touch the ball with their hands and masks were to be worn. Some of the girls’ parents didn’t let them play as they were worried about getting their kids sick.
During this past season all the girls took leadership and were responsible. Dzaferagic was very tough and strict. She pushed and shaped the girls, making them believe they could do it, to be able to not stop and motivate them. Sewell brought the light to the team. She made everyone feel special and reassured them at the end of the game. Donahue’s personality is bright. She always wanted to help out the team and pushed girls to stay focused. Donahue made the team drama-free and kept the environment positive.
