Celebrate Good Times
The soccer team runs onto the field celebrating after beating Regis, and becoming league champs at Shea Stadium June. 10. The Jaguars won 4-1. PC: A. Beaudry
the comeback kicks After a 2021 loss in the State Championship game, the girls soccer team looks to hit the field for the 2022 spring season. By: Olivia Barrett, Ben England, and Peter Leensvaart Screaming and cheering reverberates across the field. The clock ticks down and the fans start going crazy. Three seconds…two seconds…one. The fans rush the field with joy. Coaches are flooded in Gatorade. The girls 5A soccer state championship had been won…but not by them. After a 12 game winning streak in a 13 game season, the girls soccer team took on their 14th game, the state championship. The score being 1-1 with about 30 minutes left in the game, both teams had their eyes on the prize. After a penalty kick for Broomfield, the Jaguars were down 2-1. Broomfield won the game a few minutes later after a successful breakaway. After the final whistle was blown, Broomfield led 3-1 winning the state championship and taking down Rock Canyon. And it hurt. “Last year really motivated me in the way that we got so close to winning State, it gives me the drive to keep working hard for my team so we can be the best that we can be,” Addie Vali ‘23 said. After the devastating loss in the championship last season, players now have more motivation. “Doing so well last year and then losing it in the state championship definitely motivates me to do even better this year,” Teeghan Dodd ‘22 said. The girls have been practicing Mondays and Saturdays while lifting Tuesdays and Thursdays to prepare for the season.
“We are doing two times a week and we worked an hour on technical skills and then the last hour was split into 30 minutes weight lifting or conditioning. It was very enjoyable and not stressful, a great way to get to know everyone better,” Taylor Campbell ‘22 said. The season begins March 10 against Cherokee Trail. The season is then fully underway with the team playing two to three games a week. Some of the biggest games in the season are back to back against rival Mountain Vista, April 5, and against Regis Jesuit, April 7. “I am most excited for the week where we play both Vista and Regis. Vista, because we have so many connections to people in their team, and Regis, because they were the team we beat to win continental league next year,” Vali said. After the loss to Broomfield to end the season last year, the team is focusing on the present and believes they can live up to and exceed all expectations. “I feel much more pressure this year, but feel like we are more than able to live up to the expectations if we put in the work,” Cate Sheahan 22’ said. To find the full schedule, to support the girl’s soccer team, it is accessible on the athletics page of the Rock Canyon website under Girls Soccer. “I am so excited for the girls soccer season, and hopefully we are coming back and making it to the state championship again, but this time winning,” Jasper Lorenz ‘23 said.
Sisters in Arms
The Rock Canyon girls soccer team huddle together, before their Semi-Final game against Valor June. 23. The girls were tied 0-0 at the end of regulation. The jaguars came out with a 1-0 golden goal win, sending them to the championships. P.C: A. Schriefer
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sports March 2022