Shuyi Chen also contributed to this article.
The Malden High Girls’ soccer team season has had its struggles. However, senior night was a very bright point for the team as they had a massive 9-1 victory against the Chelsea Red Devils on October 20th.
The entire game was an overall clinic by the team as all positions were doing their part. Chelsea had very few chances to even put a shot on the net as the Malden defense did a phenomenal job of clearing the ball out of their zone. Another bright spot for Malden was the passing and fluidity of their game to set up quality shots. Seniors, freshmen, and juniors all scored in this game.
Senior night is always bittersweet for all sports as seniors are growing up and moving on with their lives, however, they are leaving behind them a group of people with whom they made an impact.
Senior captain Abigail Morrison stated that “this team has been my family all fall. These girls have made me laugh and smile so much and I am going to miss playing with them.” Senior Alyssa Mini said that she really will “miss the bonds” she has made since freshman year.
Mini stated, “Coach Rick and Anita have been the best coaches constantly uplifting our team and helping us to be the best we can be. They have not only helped our team improve significantly through the years but have been role models and friends to all of us.” Head Coach Rick Caceda concluded, “At this level most coaches just want the kids to have a great high school athletic experience; I believe the coaching staff did that.” Junior Junyu Wu ended with that “the coaches have put a lot of faith in us."
Abigail Morrison noted that “we had eight new players on the team this year which was a big change.” Considering that, the team did do fairly well, coach Caceda stated. “We got off to a very bad start but finished the season very strong. Our weakness was that we were so young and inexperienced.”
As for the underclassmen, senior night may come with tears in seeing some of your closest friends leave. Junior Makenzie Jenkins referred to this and said “I will miss them in general; they were just always great friends and teammates and I will forever be happy I was able to get closer with each of them.” Similarly, freshman Amelia Berliner said she will miss the “connection and community they brought to the team.”
One question that will always arise during a senior night is what will the team look like next year without crucial parts of the roster. Coach Caceda noted, “Next season we will need to apply the valuable experience the underclassmen gained this season, the close games we lost 1-0 this season will hopefully be 1-0 wins next year.” Jenkins also commented on this matter, reporting the team needed to “fix mistakes to the point where they are no longer mistakes but our strongest points.” Abigail Morrison expressed that “the juniors will need to support their goalie; she’s only a freshman right now and from experience, I know playing young on varsity is nerve-racking.”
Something that even skill cannot help is chemistry. If a team does not mesh, there is no on-field production. Alyssa Mini commented that “everyone on the team became such good friends, the chemistry we had off the field was brought on the field and we ended up having a great end of our season.” Many of the players also recognized that the team was very closely bonded. Jenkins concluded, “This is the best chemistry I’ve seen on a soccer team, or any team for that matter, we all hang out outside of soccer and all make an effort to keep in contact.”
Overall, the record does not show the heart of this team and how much fun they have. Coach Caceda described the team as “relentless” and reflected on seeing his team grow up by mentioning, “As a freshman, they get dropped off on the first day of tryouts by their parents; by senior year, they’re driving themselves home after practice.”
