After the incredible finale of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, soccer has become a source of excitement for many students throughout campus. In a recent game, the West High Girls’ Soccer team lived up to this hype by bringing home a spectacular win.             

  After returning from a long winter break, the Girls’ Soccer team started 2023 with a strong 5-0 win over Lawndale. Despite the cloudy, cold, and rainy weather, the girls didn’t allow the weather to interrupt in taking the lead. 

   The first 40 minutes of the game were slow and grueling for West. Frustration lingered in the air as the Lawndale goalkeeper kept shutting out West High’s attempts to score. The feeling of excitement built as the girls gradually crept toward the goal, but once again, the Lawndale goalkeeper was quick to stop several of the West girls’ shots. With only two minutes left on the clock for the first half West finally scored, taking a lead over Lawndale and easing the mountain of pressure resting on the team’s shoulders. 

    Once halftime began, Head Coach Jessica Youngdale swiftly gathered her team and gave brief notes: “We needed to play quicker, move the ball quicker, and get the job done. And that’s exactly what the girls did in the second half.”

   While West picked up the pace and moved the ball faster, Lawndale was quick on their toes to continue to defend their goal. After several missed goals, West scored again and increased their lead to 2-0. Sarah Weldon (11), one of the forwards on the team expressed, “the first half was really frustrating because we were having a lot of success with getting the ball up the field, but kept getting unlucky with the shots. . . we definitely turned things around in the second half. . . after halftime we came onto the field and started controlling the ball as coach said, and we started to see more success and goals.”

   Kathryn Harris (11) has been a defensive player on the Girls’ varsity team since her freshman year. Reflecting back on the game, Harris added, “I would say not practicing over break set us back a little because we had to work through all the mistakes we would normally get out in practice during the game.”  

   Ultimately, the West Girls’ Soccer team still pulled ahead and ended the game with a 5-0 win, creating exhilarating and confident energy that buzzed throughout the stadium.