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By Nali Milne
February 17, 2024Through ups and downs, wins and losses, and the hard work we put in throughout, the ‘23-’24 girl’s soccer season was one to remember. From our first tournament in Newport, to our last league game against Templeton, the “Lady Pirates” fought hard. Here’s a recap of our season:
Tryouts had one of the biggest turnouts we’ve seen in a while, especially since my freshman year. With a full Varsity bench, and so many girls on JV they had to make cuts, the season started out with a bang. Coach Kim had us sweating bullets every pre-season practice, with “the hill,” where we had to run up and down the steepest road in Morro Bay three times without stopping every practice. Legs got strong, and grit was made, and Kim began seeing out her vision for the winter.
Our first tournament was all the way down in Newport Beach, and we took two vans and two cars filled with cleats, soccer balls, and excitement. We were going to be playing against D1 teams, so there were a lot of nerves, but everyone went into it determined to play their best. We lost the first game by a lot, but no one's head dipped too low, and we went to our hotel for food and a fun night with roommates.
A rainy win against Roosevelt, pre-season (PC: Coach Kim)
Assistant Coach, Stuart Fryer, at Newport Beach (PC: Juliana Kong)
The second day was a lot better. Our first game of the morning was filled with incredible plays, and even a goal for us! We felt good, even though we lost again, and rested for our second game later in the afternoon. The last game of the day and the tournament was my favorite, and one of my best memories of the season. We played so well. We felt like a team, and everyone impacted us in a good way. Captains Jane Hotaling, Rio Fleming, Mia Bennett, and Emily Giordano led us on the field with vigor and passion, and Jane assisted my best goal of the season. We still lost, but in my opinion we played the best we’ve ever played.
The rest of the pre-season was good, with lots of wins, one or two ties, and a few losses. We were playing well and feeling good. However, our second tournament in Paso Robles left us with many injuries and a loss in motivation. We had lost every game but one, and with so many games on top of each other in the recent month, everyone was exhausted and a little burnt out.
However, a week or two passed, and we took a break for winter break, so when league started, most of the team was back and ready for the season to start. (A few of us were still injured, including me with a pretty bad cleat on my ankle, which I still have a mark from even now.)
We had been moved up a division since last season, which was a really good one for the “Lady Pirates.” However, this made our competition even stronger, and we found ourselves facing losses in most of our league games. You’d think that that would take a toll on us and our determination, but quite the opposite happened.
In our last few games, our performance skyrocketed. Senior night resulted in a win of 6-2, against Orcutt, a team we had previously lost to. It was our first league game we had won, and it was a lot of my teammates’ favorite game. That fire kept burning into the last game of our season against Templeton, our rivals. All 90 minutes was filled with fouls against us, some of which the referee never called, and smart moves from everyone who played. We scored the first goal, and finished with a 1-1 tie against a team who, once again, had previously beat us. We left that field with bruises and bumps, and love for the team and the game.
Saying goodbye to the seniors was hard, and tears were shed by many, but the memories are going to last a lifetime. The ‘23-’24 season was one of grit, hard work, and joy, and I know that I will always remember it. A big thank you to seniors Jane Hotaling, Rio Fleming, Krupa Patel, Graceyn Costa, Pearl Wishon, and Ryan Diodati, who will all be missed so much next year. And especially a big thank you to our coaches Kim Wishon and Stuart Fryer. This season was epic.
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