As the girls’ soccer season came to an end, the girls’ team’s record for their overall season was 19-4. The girls fought all season to uphold their reputation from previous seasons. They were successful and ended up making it to the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA) State Playoffs. Coming off their 1-0 win over Riverveiw in the Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic League (WPIAL) finals, the girls were feeling good. Despite these high hopes, they fell short in the quarterfinals against Bishop Guilfoyle with a score of 2-0. The girls worked toward making it a good season. The girls ended up being ranked number one in their section for Western Pennsylvania.
With the four team captions– seniors Emma Falk, Madison Meyer, Shaye Bailey and Morgan Keller—leaving the team after this season, the girls are losing valuable team leadership. Next season, it is up to the juniors to step up and lead the team.
“I’m upset about our seniors leaving this year, as they had a big impact on my performance throughout the season, and I appreciate each of them for what they have done. I can’t wait to be able to step into their captain positions in the future, and fulfill what they have done for us as a team this year, and carry their energy and support throughout the rest of my time on this team,” sophomore Alyssa Bearer said.
“These four seniors have been a staple in the Freedom girls soccer program for the last few years. We hope that they leave on our team the same passion and excitement that they got out of the program over the last few years,” Coach Chris Keller said.
As the girls end their season on a good note, they leave their mark on Freedom Soccer history as well. A two year consecutive winner of the WPIAL finals, making it to states a total of two times. Even after having six seniors graduate from the previous season, the girls still pull it off every year, and there are high hopes for their next season as well. If there is anything this team has shown, it’s determination. Several injuries throughout their season– made some players unable to compete, but they still managed to pull off a great season. They will continue to rise to the challenge and play like bulldogs.
“We feel the girls had a very successful season, a 19-4 overall record, and WPIAL back’ to back’ championships. They should be very proud of their accomplishments; they worked hard for each other and continued the Freedom tradition of being a top team in girls soccer. ” Coach Keller said.
“I’m not as upset about my Freedom Soccer career being over as I am that I will never play with this group of girls again. I know it wasn’t my last time on the field, so I think the hardest part about being done is leaving the people that had the biggest impact on my soccer career behind,” Keller said.