The Poland Girls Varsity Soccer Team won their away game against Lakeside on Wednesday, September 27 with a score of 8-0. The team is able to defend their spot at the top of the league thanks to this win, and they hope to maintain that spot for as long as possible.

One of the key plays during the game was when Kat Partika, junior, headed the ball in for their first goal of the game. Another was when senior Rabekah Thomas, a forward and outside mid, was in right wing and crossed the ball into the goal.

Thomas scored twice and assisted two goals.

“I remember that I’m with a team who will work hard to get [lost balls] back. There are always people around me to help when I make a mistake”, Thomas said on staying calm during a game.

Despite the team playing well, Thomas knows that she and the team have room for improvement. “I hope we’ll have more movement and communication on the field. We can also work on passing the ball.”

Sophomore Brooke Bobbey plays for the varsity girls soccer team on defense.

When asked about how the team has improved since the beginning of the season, she replied, “At the beginning of the season we didn’t mesh together well and now we play much better and have a lot more chemistry.”  

Bobbey says that she handles being under pressure by trusting her team and knowing they’ll recover. For the team to improve, she would like them to do more drills, make more runs, and to keep their heads up.

Senior Rachel Pugh, goalie, made many saves during the game, preventing Lakeside from scoring a goal. Although she has saved a lot of balls, her most memorable one was during a Niles game.

Pugh said, “I ran out to grab the ball, but the girl made a move around me, and I managed to save the ball before it crossed the line.”

The students play Lakeview on October 19, 2017. This will determine if they move on to semi-finals. Go Bulldogs!