Varsity Girls look to rebuild after tough season

On April 11, 2018, the SMIC-I Varsity Girls Soccer team played an away game at Dulwich. As the girls arrived at Dulwich High school, each team was given about 15 minutes to warm up before starting the game. While the girls were warming up, the judge flipped the coin, which determined field sides for the teams.

Before the game, Coach Raydan Phillips shouted, “Be aggressive, you guys have nothing to lose,” and the game started immediately.

During the first half, the girls seemed to be lacking communication with each other. The coach kept reminding them to communicate and told the players that if they do not communicate and play the game, the girls would not be able to perform well. Sophie Chao (11C) said that in their next game, they would need to improve on communication and passing. Also, according to Coach Phillips, “It is always a disadvantage playing away at another school because we become so accustom[ed] to our field and grass. Their field was much smaller and the goals were bigger than what we usually play on.”

At halftime, Coach Phillips tried to rally the team explain what the girls should improve in their next half. As the second half of the game started, it was clear that the girls were more aggressive than before. This allowed Sophie to score a goal against Dulwich through a free kick. Coach, when she saw Sophie scoring a goal, “felt super excited and also relieved.”

Unfortunately, SMIC-I was ultimately defeated by Dulwich 5-1. But the girls have improved and the coach also believes that this game “was about fixing and tweaking what we already know.” Although Wednesday’s game was not a result that the girls had expected, by learning through experience in this game, players have improved.  They also hope to build on what they learned this year and improve for next year.

Featured Image – Stephanie Chen fights for the ball Courtesy of Candy Park