Girls' Soccer Perseveres Through Injuries, Fights to Another Winning Season

Record: 9-7-2 Girls’ varsity soccer ended their season with a 9-7-2 record, pulling together asa team over the course of the term, despite being a young group and having manykey players injured. Before the season had even begun, senior co-captain Darby Henry and seniorVictoria Triana were out with ACL injuries. Nevertheless, the girls kicked off theyear with two wins, one against Tilton School and the other against Choate RosemaryHall. Before long, Big Red suffered another setback, as senior Brooke Goddard andprep Michaela Streep were sidelined by injuries. Despite missing some important players, the team soldiered on, putting togethera four-game winning streak and tying at E/a, 1-1. Altogether, it was a successfulseason for the girls, who showed perseverance as well as talent throughout the fall. “Coming into the season, we were not expecting much,” senior co-captain CarlinZia said. “We had graduated a lot of players in the previous two years, and on topof that, going into this season we had two key seniors out with ACL injuries. Still,we were excited to be playing together again and hoped to be a bit of a dark horseand even surprise ourselves.” The team took on five preps, the largest number in decades. There were alsoonly fifteen total girls on the team - an unusually small roster. The pressure was onthe younger members of the team after injuries forced them to enter the fray earlierthan they may have expected, but the athletes pulled through. “The new players were great,” Henry said. “They not only contributed new talentto the field, but they also brought a rejuvenating aura of utter youthful bliss tothe team atmosphere.” With guidance from the older players, led by the three senior captains, Henry,Lauren Boulger and Zia, the new girls adopted the dedication and impressive workethic, which has always been the cornerstone of girls’ varsity soccer. “We had a lot of youth, but we also had good core group of upperclassmen settinga strong example for the younger players,” Zia said. “I think our season was markedthis year by the upperclassmen upholding the Soxie tradition of combining hard workwith having fun and by the new players buying into that attitude.” The size of the team had its benefits. It allowed the athletes to get to know oneanother very well throughout the season, and they brought that harmony to the field. “Since we were a fairly small team, we were all very close by the end of theseason,” upper Danielle Sim said. “Because we went through the ups and downs ofthe season together, we really became a close-knit team. By the end of the season,we could play off each other’s individual style, playing as one fluid unit. Soccerwise, we had talent from all grades, providing a good balance between older andyounger players.” “I think our collective mentality was one of our greatest strengths this season,”Sim continued. “We didn’t really have anything to lose, but we also were consciousof upholding the legacy of Exeter girls’ soccer, which we strived to do not necessarilyin overall record, but more so in work ethic, sportsmanship and team chemistry.” “The team was close as always,” Henry agreed. “It was heartbreaking to saygoodbye to the season. That team will certainly hold a special place in my heart.”The Exeter/Andover showdown is often the most exciting game of any team’sseason, and girls’ varsity soccer was no exception. “We were pretty evenly matched all over the field,” Sim said. “They had somevery skilled midfielders and forwards, but our defense had, by the end of the season,developed a strong system with good communication. The defense made a markingmistake and let Andover score, but they stayed solid the rest of the game. Our offensewere slightly better than the defense, but we had trouble threading passes throughfrom the midfield to the forwards. We also had some trouble staying composed andmaking the final pass before a shot. The best moment in the game was Darby’s tyinggoal, since she had been out all season.” Henry, a four-year starter, three-time MVP, and two-time captain, ended her girls’ varsitysoccer career with a bang, scoring the equalizer at E/a with only six minutes left on the clock. “It was quite exciting,” Henry said. “We usually lose, often quite handily, to Andover, butthis year, the goalie happened to be taking a quick snooze when we shot the ball, so we wereable to tie up the game. It was a joyous occasion for all, and that tie felt like a win to us.” Sim and Zia were named this year’s MVPs. The pair showed standout characteristics allseason and proved more than worthy of the title. Girls’ varsity soccer will not only be saying goodbye to six seniors, but also coach BillDennehy. Dennehy completed his forty-second year of soccer coaching, working with the boys’team for many years before spending his last few with the girls’ team. “I think it’s frivolous to try to explain why [Dennehy's retirement] is a catastrophe, but no oneplays as well when they haven’t had a Dennehy dinner in their stomach all season," Henry said. Even with all these changes, the girls are looking forward to another successful year in2013, especially since the young talent has gained such skill and technique over the course ofthis past season. Upper Susannah Gray has been named next year's captain, and her teammatesare excited to have her leading the team. “We will de nitely miss the seniors next year, but again because we have skill coming fromall grades, we should be able to handle next challenges,” Sim added. “Susannah was alreadya leader on and off the eld this year, and she will naturally ll the captain position very well.I’m sure the younger players on the team will become more dominant - they certainly have theskill to do so. I know that we all are excited for what the new season brings us.” Even thoughthey will be leaving, the seniors on the 2012 team are excited to see what 2013 holds for theirbeloved team. “I think they will be a strong team next year,” Henry said. “They have great senior leadership,with each [rising] senior contributing something different and important to the team, andthe younger kids will have one more year under their belts. They are a highly motivated teamwith both tremendous talent and promising potential. I think we can expect a great season outof them, and I look forward to coming back to watch it.” “The returning seniors have all played together for a couple years now and there is somegreat leadership among them,” Zia agreed. “Hopefully we graduating seniors will be able tomake it back to see a game or two next season.”