By: Nicole Kelly-Aglio

During the 2017 season of Girls Varsity Soccer at Beaver, the team successfully made it to the Eastern Independent League (EIL) tournament along with the New England Preparatory School Athletic Council (NEPSAC) playoffs. Six seniors graduated last year, including two who wound up playing Division 3 soccer in college. Losing these vital players, had a significant impact on the team. As we looked forward to the 2018 season, we worried about if we would meet and follow through with expectations. With endless persistence and dedication in order to achieve success, the girl’s soccer team has stepped up to various challenges.

At the beginning of preseason, we were nervous to see how incoming players would fit with the team. After a week of burning heat and intense training sessions, there was a clear high level of talent from the freshmen. As we approached our first game, we made sure we stayed healthy and focused on our team goals. Some of our goals include: leaving everything on the field, having a positive mental attitude, and good sportsmanship. The motivation we gained from following our goals helped us beat Brimmer and May in our first game. Shortly following the Brimmer game, we faced our first in a league game against Concord Academy. Fortunately, we had the advantage of being on the home field. Although throughout the game, we struggled to work together and get into a solid rhythm. We ended up losing 4-0 but the loss motivated us to want to improve.

The following weeks we worked extra hard in practice, working on our first touches, agility, and endurance. The next week we played some of the best teams; both in the league and out of the league. Despite our hard work and persistence, we managed to lose the next four of our games. One thing that went really well was our ability to stay positive no matter what. We used that positively to increase our incentive to win. As a team, we strive to not only have positive results on the field but to additionally create an environment where we can all grow as players. Using this mentality, we were able to destroy our opponents during Harvest Fest showing the Beaver community what Beaver Girls Varsity Soccer is all about. We will additionally continue to persist throughout the rest of the season.