After tying their last game of the season against Watson B. Duncan Middle School 1-1, the girls soccer team finished their regular season with a 3-5-2 record, not qualifying for the playoffs.

   “I think the season has gone well.  We have a young team and they are learning the ins and outs of the game,” William Pinto, coach of the team, said. 

   As the season went on, Pinto had many goals in mind for the team. 

   “The main focuses for the season was positioning, transitioning and overall teamwork amongst players,” Pinto said.  “The focuses have played out well.  These players have been receptive and have put what they learned at practice and lectures into game play.”

   However, these were not the only concepts the team worked on. 

   “Well, the younger kids on the team were really shy at first, but now they’ve come toge

ther to become a unit,” Yoni Levkovitz, sixth grade team manager said. 

   Despite the improvements, players believed that the team still had parts of the game to work on. 

   “I think it’s really important that we find a balance between working together and working hard,” Cici Cox, eighth grade left forward said. 

   On game days, Pinto uniquely prepared the team both physically and mentally. 

   “The team sits down for a pregame briefing, they share a snack and we discuss our opponents strengths and weaknesses and come up with a game plan,” Pinto said.

   Although the team’s record may seem underwhelming at first glance, they  believed that it did not accurately reflect their talent.  

   “You really can’t go off the record of the season because each player has their own developmental talents,” Pinto said. “And unfortunately, Bak is so busy during the season that we have to have a large team because of absences due to other extra curricular activities.”

  To develop the team, Pinto utilized practices effectively.
  “A typical practice consists of a 10-15 minute lecture, 10 minute warmup drill, lesson review on the field,” Pinto said. “30 minute scrimmage game (usually players are broken down into either two or three teams) and a five minute cool down drill.” 

   Even though players kept focused on the team, they also monitored their personal progress.

   “I personally wanted to win against the better teams and score some good goals,” Cox said.

   Although not a win, the team’s high point of the season was unquestioned. 

   “Tying against a top two team, Jupiter Middle School, was definitely a proud moment for this team,” Cox said. 

   The team managed to compete in most of their games, keeping the scores within two goals of each other.

   As the season ended, players looked back at it as a time of good memories.

   Cox said, “I’m glad to be on the soccer team.”