Girls’ soccer season comes to an end

On October 25, the Lady Greenmen soccer season drew to a close after the girls bonded, practiced, and competed for several weeks. The team made it to the district semifinals, placing second in their conference and wrapping up the season with a record of 10-4-5. Overall, the girls’ performance improved from the previous year.

AHS girls’ soccer coach Jerry Shutway reported to the Aurora Advocate, “Last year we felt we should have done better in the playoffs, so one of the goals we set was to get past last year's mark.”

Unfortunately, the girls lost 6-0 to Walsh Jesuit in the Division I district tournament.

"We also wanted to show we could compete with teams like Walsh, but unfortunately they were much faster and very skilled in 1-on-1 situations, and we just couldn't keep up the pace," said Shutway.

"They first tried to attack the middle of our defense, but found us to be very good at denying them space to play in there," said Shutway. "Then they tried to attack our flanks and again found us to be very good at closing them out.”

Senior Katie Gordon has played soccer for fifteen years, with three of those years as a center defender on the AHS Varsity team.

“The season went really well,” said Gordon. “In our last game against Walsh, we knew it was going to be a tough game, but we all wanted to play our hardest for each other.”

Although the final game was emotional, the season as a whole went smoothly: “There were some tears, but overall I think everyone was really happy about the season and how well we did as a team. It was definitely a bittersweet feeling,” said Gordon.

Gordon said, “I love being part of a team. Everyone is responsible to do their part and when you win, you win together. I've always enjoyed soccer because there are so many details to the game, but most of them are controlled by creativity. There are rarely set plays, so it is up to the players to create the game.”

Junior goalkeeper Olivia Conces, an eleven-year veteran of the sport and a third-year varsity member, echoed Gordon’s sentiments: “My favorite part about soccer is that it's a team sport. I love creating long-lasting friendships and a family of girls I can count on.”

“I also enjoy playing in a stadium under the lights during games and the warm up with music before!” said Conces.