The Paley girls soccer team ended its season on a down note after losing to Valley Christian in CCS last week.
The team finished in 5th place, about average, with a league record of 5 wins, 5 losses, and 2 draws. This was enough to qualify for the Division III CCS playoffs, but they lost 2-0 in the first round, unfortunately ending their season.
The girls team started the season with a tie against Newark Memorial, then won 2-0 against rival Gunn High School.
The strong start continued as the team went undefeated through its first five league games, including an impressive victory over eventual league champion Los Altos. However, that success didn't last long, as the team went on to lose five of their remaining seven games.
“We started the season really well, but it went downhill. Once we lost momentum, it was hard to recover,” junior Evin Steele said.
Steele also touched on the adversity the team faced and how they tried to overcome obstacles.
“It was difficult to motivate people to come to practice because it was early in the morning. The lack of consistency made it especially difficult,” Steele said. “But we did our best to motivate ourselves and play well in the match.”
In addition to the ups and downs on the field, the season also had its highlights off the field.
“We had pasta dinner every other Monday and really bonded,” junior Claire Cho said. “I really enjoyed those dinners because it was a way to relax with my teammates without focusing on soccer.”
Cho also discussed other key aspects of this season, highlighting how he will measure his team's success.
“Of course, we weren't able to rank as high in the league as we had hoped, but I think it's important not to focus only on wins and losses,'' Cho said. “We built a lot of chemistry and I felt like I got really close with all of my teammates. To me that's a win in itself.”
Despite the team's shortened season, sophomore Arleet Rao has high hopes for the future.
“The good thing was that we were able to advance to CCS. I want to aim even higher next year,” Rao said. “We have a good core, so that should translate into next season.”
