Like all sport teams this year, the Girls Varsity Soccer team was no different. They had to adapt to a year filled with daily COVID tests and irregular practice and game schedules. However, despite these challenges, they managed to persevere and complete their season. Senior Emme Chen, goalie for the team, detailed what it was like to play this year and her experience with soccer in general.

Her background with soccer goes back all the way to when she was just a little girl and her parents signed her up for a soccer team.

“I started playing soccer at five years-old and have since grown to love it,” said Emme. “I used soccer as an escape from academics and homelife, as it provided me with a second family along with competition I strived off of. The game itself along with the bonds I’ve created have become an integral part of my life.”

Emme played many other sports including basketball and softball, but soccer really stuck with her because of the joy and satisfaction she gets every time she steps onto the field as a goalie and the relationships she builds.

“My favorite aspect is the adrenaline soccer brings you. The rush you feel during game determining PKs or one-on-ones I face as a goalkeeper creates an incomparable rush of adrenaline. Moreover, soccer allows me to interact and build bonds with people I wouldn’t normally socialize with.”

She was appreciative to still have a senior year and a proper sendoff after dedicating all four years to the AHS soccer program. However, there were a few differences that forced them to come together as a team in order to win games and have better team chemistry.

“When news hit that the league would start, we jumped into 6am practices where everyone knew nobody, but we soon gradually shifted to afternoon practices with our respective teams. With so many new players on Varsity, pre-season was definitely a bumpy start where we were still learning each other’s different game plays and skills. However, when we started league, we began to understand each other better and connect more as a team. We carried our first league win into the remainder of our season, and ended up getting 3rd in the league. Although it would have been preferable to be league champs, we are still excited for our CIF games.”

One thing that didn’t change during this COVID year for her was the memories she made playing the sport she loves.

“My favorite memory of this year would be the last league game against CV. Our team got about 5 yellow cards in the span of 20 minutes, and I hadn’t seen our team connect more during the first half of the game all season. The rush of it being my last high school league game was also special despite the game resulting in a loss. Also, getting food with the team after beach practices is a runner up to a favorite memory.”

Congratulations to the Girls Varsity Soccer team for a great regular season and good luck in their upcoming CIF games.

Photo courtesy of Emme Chen