For the fourth year in a row, the Girls’ Varsity Soccer team has proven that unity is the key to success. Although they lost in the playoffs, the team was able to capture their fourth division title in a row!

This season’s captains have been on the team since their freshman year, giving the sport itself and the team very special places in their hearts. They were able to make some of their best friends in high school before the first day of their freshman year. “This preseason really focussed on team bonding, because we had so many new additions to our team,” said senior co-captain Zoe Lainis ’18.

The new Bronx A1 soccer league was a new opportunity for the team to showcase their talents. Instead of playing Bronx and Manhattan A1 teams during their season, the season was strictly against Bronx teams. The team breezed through the season, and was able to focus on developing their new players as well.

“My favorite aspect of the team is how close everyone is with each other.”

The new league was filled with many teams that could not match the talent of our girls, so it was difficult for the team to face a challenge. In sports, teams ideally would like to have good competitors in order to better themselves. This, unfortunately, was not the case for the Girls’ Varsity Soccer team. Despite this, Coach Annie Eckstein pushed the girls harder in practice to make up for the competitive edge that they lost during the season.

Coach Eckstein has led the team to victories for many years. She is constantly motivating the girls to become better with every practice. Conditioning is one of the most important things for the girls. Come tryouts, the girls have to be able to run a mile in seven minutes, which ensures the team will be ready for all the running that they will have to do during their games.

Despite the rigorous practice schedule, the girls were willing to put in the work knowing their friends were working hard with them. “My favorite aspect of the team is how close everyone is with each other. Soccer is a type of sport where you have to rely on your teammates for success, so everyone on the team grew to trust each other. As a result, the team became a tight unit of people you can always come to when in need of help. We joked, laughed, and went through the same hardships. Although practices were hard at times, it was worth going if they were there,” said senior co-captain Meleni Rahaman ’18.

Unfortunately, this season did not result in a PSAL Championship, but it definitely prepared the new members of the team for the years to come in this new Bronx A1 Division.