Soxie Gives Back to Exeter Community
Last Wednesday, the Exeter girls’ varsity soccer team, nicknamed “Soxie,” hosted Kimball Union Academy. The game was close and very competitive, but finished with a disappointing 1-2 loss for Big Red. The latest in a series of frustratingly close games, the Kimball Union duel brings the team’s season record to 1-8-1.
“We weren’t as aggressive as we should’ve been throughout the first half, so we struggled to push the offensive.”
Soxie started the game off slow, and Kimball Union pressured the defense throughout the first half. A standout player on the opposing team managed to score two goals against Big Red. Senior and co-captain Anna Reaman said, “We weren’t as aggressive as we should’ve been throughout the first half, so we struggled to push the offensive.”
However, Soxie increased their intensity after halftime. Led by a goal from lower Dennesha Rolle, Exeter controlled the ball throughout the second half of the game. Unfortunately, Big Red was unable to catch up to Kimball Union. Despite a valiant comeback effort near the end, Exeter still trailed the opposing team by one point. Senior and co-captain Lauren Arkell expressed the frustrating nature of the game. “We were so close but we just got unlucky on many occasions,” she explained. Reaman agreed with Arkell saying, “We started to pick up some momentum near the end but unfortunately we ran out of time and weren’t able to catch up.”
Arkell described the difficulty the team experienced in scoring goals despite possessing control of the ball. “We had way more shots than the other team we just couldn’t find the back of the net,” she said. “We have been working on our shots a lot more in practice, though.” Reaman explained that the team has a positive attitude and is still eager to improve for the six games in the season.
On the following Saturday, Soxie got a rare break from competition. Instead of a game or hosting practice, the team coordinated a field day for foster children from the local area. The team organized a myriad of activities designed for the children including a bouncy house, sack races, crafts and face paint. Reaman stressed how important this event was for not only the team but also the community. “To spend that day helping the children brought the team closer together,” she explained. “But more importantly, it was so amazing to go out there and see those children smile and really enjoy themselves.”
Arkell also expressed the joy and positivity she witnessed. “All the kids were so energetic and adorable and loved everything we had setup for them,” she exclaimed. Arkell elaborated that this was Soxie’s first time hosting this event. However, based on its success, she foresees more of these events to come in the future. Reaman echoed Arkell’s sentiments saying, “I’m glad we were able to make a positive impact in our community. Hopefully, this is something that will happen more frequently.”
Soxie will be resuming its busy competition schedule this week. Big Red will host a home game against St. Paul’s School this Saturday. With support from members of the Exeter community, the team hopes to put on a strong performance this weekend.