Ever since she was young, Brenda Darisse, a junior and one of the girls’ varsity soccer captains, has had a love for soccer. “I love watching it, I love playing. It genuinely brings me joy when I play; it’s something I feel like I can constantly be in control of and be passionate about,” Darisse stated. She has played for multiple teams such as Malden and Everett Youth Soccer.
She has always strived to be better and pushes herself to do her best. Being a student-athlete is not easy, but Darisse makes sure her time management is “on point.”
“I feel like it’s all about making use of my time and how I use it. I try to stay organized with my day-to-day schedule and make sure I do my school work after soccer or during any free periods,” Darisse explained.
As this is only Darisse’s first year as captain, she believes that there has not been enough experience on her behalf. However, she plans to learn and grow to set a good example for her team because she is “very serious about being captain.”
Right: Darisse winds up to kick a ball down the pitch. Photo submitted by Brenda Darisse
“I don’t think I’ve fully or officially impacted the team yet, but that’s one of my biggest goals as captain,” Darisse said. She also wants to ensure that every time they get together, it’s a positive environment. “My biggest goal as captain is to genuinely just have the team be as one. I want us to all genuinely enjoy being around each other. Aside from the physical aspect, I just want everyone to be comfortable within the team and enjoy each other’s company.”
Darisse tries her best to help out as much as she possibly can and set an example for the team. “I believe helping out in the summer when the team needed it a lot more at that moment showed dedication. Also, even when I wasn’t captain, I always did what I needed to do,”
Darisse has a lot of hope for the team and wants to make a direct impact as captain. Being captain is a huge responsibility, but she wishes her coach understood that captains can also have bad days.
Left: Brenda Darisse posing in uniform. Photo submitted by Brenda Darrisse
“Sometimes, there are days when I don’t have a lot of motivation. I wish they could understand that I also need support because there are days when I don’t feel like I played my best, so sometimes I’ll be discouraged,” said Darisse.
Darisse plans to continue enjoying her favorite sport, soccer, by playing on a college team after high school. As for her current team, she believes that they will improve and continue to grow.
“Catch us next year, we’re locking in,” she concluded.
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