As junior soccer captain, Sandesh Ghimire has already left an indelible mark on the boys’ soccer team. Ghimire, an all-star soccer player and Malden player took the reins alongside senior captain Yohanes Megerssa in leading the team this season.
He expressed that being a captain was a “crazy experience.” Balancing being a leader and friend for his teammates was not an easy feat. “As a leader, you have to think of everyone, yourself included… and I think the biggest challenge I faced was keeping my team motivated.”
Still, however, he constantly reminded them on the field, “how much time we put into each other and how much of our own time we put into the team. If we don’t make anything of it, what’s the point? We have to win, not for just ourselves, but for each other, for Malden, and our coaches.”
On that note, Ghimire found it highly rewarding as a captain to “see my teammates every day improve their gameplay.” Whenever the team suffered a loss this season Ghimire would “assure everyone that every day is a new game, a new chance, a new opportunity to improve” to further motivate them for future practices and games, and it “felt amazing to see them grow in their confidence.”
As Ghimire’s friend of five years, and now his co-captain and mentor, Megerssa warmly described him as a “truly good person and very fun to be around.”
However, his dedication to the team and protecting his teammates is just as significant. In the boys’ soccer team’s first game against Everett, Ghimire was wrongfully given a card for a foul someone else on the team committed. Yet, “he acknowledged the referee’s mistake instead of arguing with the referee—he accepted the decision. That red card got him suspended for 3 games.”
The team could not make it to States this season. “It didn’t turn out how we wanted,” said Ghimire, “but we know that for the next season, we will achieve it.” And still, something positive emerged the immensely supportive environment he helped create with his co-captain, which he summarized as “one big family on and off the field… that I am proud of.”
Junior Omar Idmbarek Tenorio, one of Ghimire’s teammates who has been best friends with him since the third grade, can attest to his role in team bonding. “Even during the off-season, he made sure we stayed connected and created practices over the summer to help us create the chemistry every team needs.”
However, while Ghimire added that trust and support are “key” and that to be a good leader is to “bring and keep everyone together,” it also involves serving as a role model for the team. “Lead by example,” he said,“Learn from your mistakes and losses instead of feeling pity. I am also still learning.”
His teammates believe he lives up to that advice. Tenorio stated that if he earned the role of boys’ soccer captain next season, he would model himself after Sandesh’s skills, his confidence, his ability to bring people together, and his ability to raise the standards during both practices and games.” Megerssa added that with Ghimire’s evolving leadership skills and the team continuing to support each other, “there is no doubt in my mind that the team can make it far next season.”
Ghimire has one more season of boys’ soccer left to play. He looks forward to not only concluding this one on a hopeful note but also using his current experiences as captain to bring the team even more success next year. “I will become a better captain, as well as a better player,” he assured, “I will lead our team into States.”
