Spartan Soccer girls approached season with flexibility

Spartan Girls Varsity soccer has held their own within the IMAC conference with a record of 6-5-3. With tough games against Minnehaha, Providence Academy and Breck, and clear wins like the game against St. Agnes, the team has maintained a strong balance going into upcoming section matches.

The main obstacle the team faced this year was the number of injuries sustained.
Captain Lindsay Browne said, “We have had…to adjust our lineup and strategy a little bit, but I think the team is doing well at adapting to the changes.”

Switching coaches also required the girls to learn a new program approach. “Everyone is being very flexible, which I think is great and really helps us move past any difficulties,” Browne said.

For Browne, who described her experience as a senior feeling the shortness of the season, a highlight from the year was the 3-2 win against Breck.

“It is always a super competitive game against them, so it was really exciting to get the win,” she said.

Attacking mid and forward Clare Ryan-Bradley agreed that the game with Breck was a high point of the season, as well as the team’s efforts to play each game better than the last. “I think we improved over the season, like from the first time we played Minnehaha to the second,” she said.

Overcoming struggles also brought members of the team together to support each other. Midfielder Lucia Gonzalez appreciated the upperclassmen’s encouragement throughout the season: “I think I learned that it’s really helpful that upperclassmen say hi and talk to the underclassmen.”

As a new freshman at the school, “it was really nice to know that I had people to go to if I needed help,” Gonzalez said.

With team bonding activities like an overnight trip to St. Cloud, midfielder Sonia Kharbanda felt the connections between the team were crucial to their experiences playing.

“I think we’ve gotten a lot closer… I also think that closeness has helped us improve as a team,” Kharbanda said.