Girls' soccer only getting better

By Aaron Lillie

 

After winning the region title and advancing to the state semifinals for the second year in a row, it's hard to believe the girls' soccer team may still have their best performance ahead of them.

Although the girls have yet to win a state championship, the trophy is easily within their reach. While the team loses a handful of talented seniors, the majority of the team will return for another impressive season. With so many top players still juniors and sophomores, senior team captains Shelby Murray, Courtney Hollan, Malorie Jaramillo and Shelby McKell leave the team in good hands.

Junior Jessie Beck guarantees the success will continue if the players continue to work hard in preparation for next season. "With at least seven seniors next year, our future looks promising. You should look forward to next year's team as well."

Two names to remember are junior Angelica Dickson and sophomore Marissa Nimmer. Both players have led the varsity team since their freshman years.

This year, "Gel" leads the team in scoring with over 24 goals and is currently ranked second in goals scored throughout all of 5A. Meanwhile, Marissa is having another great season after leading the team in scoring as freshman, a notable accomplishment in varsity sports.

Defending the goal may not be a glamorous position, but sophomore Alexa Anderson is another young player doing an outstanding job, allowing just over one goal per game and shutting out many opponents.

The team finished with an 8-2 record in region, including an undefeated record on their home field. Like most winning teams do, senior Shelby Murray contributed part of the team's home field success to the tremendous support of fans. "We have really enjoyed how many fans have turned out to our games this year. It's been great; it gets the team so fired up!"

The girls opened play in the state tournament with an overtime victory against Jordan and defeated Fremont 1-0 to advance to the semifinals. Last Thursday, the team battled Alta in a rematch of last year's semifinals for a shot at trip to the state championship game.

Now that the season has ended, Shelby took a moment to reflect back on her high school soccer career. "I love being a part of this team. It has been so much fun the last four years. The coaching is great, and we are all just a big family. We have so much fun but also work so hard, and that's what makes it so great. I am so glad I was able to be a part of this team."