The Malden High School girls soccer team is starting off their new season with high hopes and determination for an even better year. The varsity girls soccer team perseveres through the loss of seniors from the previous year, and aim for an exceptional season.
The team currently holds a generally good score for the last five games; their only loss being against Gloucester. Even so, the team kept a relatively tight game against Gloucester until the rival team was allowed a penalty kick which ended the game with a score of one to zero.
Salma Bezzat, senior and captain of the girls soccer team who plays midfielder, has been playing soccer since she was in fourth grade. As a captain, this year she hopes to see the team meet certain goals that she has set for them and herself.
As a student athlete, Bezzat hopes that she will be able to keep her team motivated throughout the season since she noticed that very often, the girls are “over it and they lose the ambition they had” half way through the season. However, since the team has been winning most of their games, it seems to be boosting interest in continuing that win streak.
On a different note, Bezzat is aiming for the team chemistry to be consistently good for the remainder of the season. She mentions that “[they] try to do a lot team bonding to maintain a good chemistry because soccer is all about the chemistry.” She specifically points out that “at practice [they] run together, end together and [they] don’t leave anyone behind.”
As of this year, the team has lost two seniors from last year: one was a team captain and the other was a starter. Although the team did not suffer too many player losses compared to other teams, and saw most of the players from last year return, they did lose an important team starter. It is hoped that the players this year are quickly able to fill the expectations of the team.
Angela Tejada-Soliz, a senior and captain that plays midfielder as well, believes that “this is good thing because [they] have learned to play well together and adjust and modify [their] team to accommodate for the tremendous amount of young talent” that permeates the field when playing.
Due to the fact that the team currently has a winning record, they remain determined and continue trying to improve to reach perfection. They take one game at a time, focus on the opponent team and stay aware of certain points that need improvement. Additionally, for the rest of the season they are refining their set pieces and the chemistry between each player.
As for the season so far, all positions of the varsity team has been performing smoothly throughout every game. Some teammates that are standing out to the captains include Beatriz De Oliveira Segato, who, according to Bezzat has been scoring in numerous games that they had. Another captain that was given a shout out is Jill Tramondozzi, who Soliz says, “outplayed herself each and every game, she is outstanding and really holds [their] defense down.”
The girls soccer team is having their next soccer game on Wednesday September 26, 2018 against Lynn Classical.
