Girls Soccer Builds More Than 13-1 Record

The St. Mary's girls soccer program had a strong season filled with plenty of success, growth, and team bonding. Training began almost immediately after school got out in June with the early summer focused on conditioning. Knowing we would have a small (but mighty!) squad meant everyone needed the conditioning to play a full game as well as the health to sustain the long season. Before the season got underway officially, we played in a jamboree with Crater, South Medford, and Ashland (who we did not get to play). The girls held Crater scoreless and had several chances to take the lead, but time ran out. Against South, the girls were caught off-guard by their 6A opponents and dropped 2-0 by half. Rallying, though, the girls came back and on a beautiful assist from freshman Cora Campanella, fellow freshman Ainsley Javarone got our first team goal. The precedent set in the pre-season jamboree was clear - this team wanted to win against any and all opponents. 

 

We opened against our toughest in-league competition: Brookings. In a 4-0 win, the girls set a standard for the season. The games that followed were a string of victories with the team going undefeated in league and allowing only 2 goals on the season. Throughout the season the girls grew closer as a team with a variety of activities from t-shirt decorating, team dinners, and impromptu gatherings on campus. The success of the team is equally attributable to their skills as well as their camaraderie. The trust and bonds shared by this group were easily visible on the field. There was no single player that the team depended on for success - goals were scored by 8 different players, consistently, throughout the season. Assists came from nearly everyone on the roster. This group of girls truly made up a "team."

 

From the earliest practices, the girls had a state title on their minds. While we fell a couple rounds short this year, the future looks incredibly bright. We are returning all but our 2 seniors - Bella and Ketsia. They are sure to be missed as their leadership, goal-scoring, and maturity played a key role in many of our wins. Luckily, our 9 underclassmen will all return with a(nother) year of high school soccer under their belts and the knowledge of what is needed to win in the season to come. In addition, the pipeline coming up from the middle school looks promising. I am already aware of at least 4 strong eighth grade players and then another 7-8 seventh grade players who will follow them for the 2026 season. Knowing that we will be able to build on what Martin Nelson started during his coaching tenure as well as the play-off run the girls made this year only increases my enthusiasm and excitement as the coach of this program.