With their CCS loss to Valley Christian last week, the Paly girls soccer team ended the season on a low note.
The team finished fifth in their league, about average with a 5-5-2 record. This was enough to earn them a Division III CCS playoff berth, though a 2-0 loss in the first round gave them an unfortunate end to the season.
The girls kicked off the season with a tie versus Newark Memorial, and then a 2-0 win against rivals Gunn High School.
The strong start continued, as the team went undefeated through their first five league games, including an impressive win over eventual league winners Los Altos. The success did not last however, as the team then went on to lose five of their remaining seven matches.
“We started off the season really well, but it went downhill. Once we lost momentum it was hard to recover,” said junior Evin Steele.
Steele also touched on adversity that the team faced and how they tried to overcome the roadblocks.
“It was hard to motivate people to show up to practice because it was early in the morning. That lack of consistency made it especially hard,” said Steele. “But we tried our best to motivate ourselves and play well at games.”
In addition to the ups and downs on the pitch, the season had other, off the field highlights as well.
“We had pasta dinner every other Monday and were really able to bond,” said junior Claire Cho. “Those dinners were really fun because it was a way to relax with teammates where the focus wasn’t on soccer.”
Cho also discussed other important takeaways from the season, and highlighted how she measures the team’s success.
“Obviously we didn’t place as high in the league as we would have liked, but I think it’s important that we don’t only look at wins and losses,” said Cho. “We built a lot of chemistry, and I felt that I really got a lot closer with all my teammates. To me that’s a win in and of itself.”
Despite the team’s season being cut short, sophomore Areet Rao has high hopes for the future.
“The good thing is that we made it to CCS, and hopefully next year we can go even further,” said Rao. “We have a good core, and that should translate over to next season.”
