The Blue Waves soccer teams finished their season with the Frazer team winning 2-1 against Nettleton in the first-round playoff on Feb. 1 before being eliminated in the second-round playoff with a 0-2 loss to Pisgah on Feb. 3. The Goen team lost 1-2 in the first-round playoff against Nettleton.
First-round playoff against Nettleton
Senior attacking midfielder Daniel Van scored both goals for the Frazer team. Junior left winger Natalia Elmore scored the single goal for Goen team, with an assist from junior attacking midfielder Isabel Beckmen.
Having lost to Nettleton twice during the season, Frazer senior co-captain and defensive center midfielder Yash Malhotra said being able to return and beat them was a big achievement for the team.
The Goen team faced its own set of challenges before the match, with many players out due to sickness.
Senior co-captain and right winger Kayla Williams said the Goen team started the match with a mindset of preventing Nettleton from advancing to their defensive line.
“We were just attacking, attacking [and] attacking,” Williams said. “For a long time, we [managed to] hold off, but their winning point was during penalty kicks … and it was because of a weak spot.”
Frazer’s second-round playoffs against Pisgah
In the first half, after Pisgah scored their first goal, Malhotra said the Frazer team kept their heads high and played as though it hadn’t happened.
“Being able to step up, match and beat their pace was the biggest challenge we had, [but] we eventually ended up playing them okay,” Malhotra said.
Looking back on the match, Malhotra said there were many things the Frazer team could have done differently including strengthening the back line and defensive positions.
Season reflection
However, despite the losses for both teams, the season was filled with moments to celebrate.
Junior Ashton Spence said he was proud of the team’s improvement and looks forward to preparing for the next season as a senior player.
“I felt like there were times when we could do better but overall, we improved over the season,” Spence said.
For seniors, the matches marked the end of their MSMS soccer experience. Reflecting on both his junior and senior seasons, Van said it was an unforgettable experience.
“I [am] sad [to know] I won’t ever get the chance to play with the same team [again], but I [am] happy [to know] I got to play [with] such an amazing team to begin with,” Van said.
