On Tuesday night, all 12 seniors and teammates of the girls’ varsity soccer team lined up before the game. Many fans filled the stands to celebrate the seniors and their successes throughout their soccer careers.
Senior night is the last home game of the regular season. Seniors receive flowers and many congratulations from family, friends, coaches, and teammates, as well as have pictures taken with their families. It’s overall a wonderful way to celebrate the seniors’ successes as they get ready for the next chapter in their lives. Tuesday’s girls soccer senior night was no exception. Families and fans had lots of posters, decorations, and great energy. After the seniors took pictures, they began to get hyped up for the game vs. Souhegan. The intensity and excitement was high as the girls stepped out onto the field and got ready for their pregame cheer.
Within the first minute of the game, Laura Slama (‘22) made a great save in net and punted the ball to her teammates. As the ball was transferred up the field from Brooke Thompson (‘22) to Charlotte Cousins (‘22), Cousins took a shot on net and the first goal was scored with 37:10 left on the clock in the first half. “I was just so happy to have scored so early in the game, it’s always nice to get ahead early, especially in a high stakes game. I was also happy to have scored in my senior game as it kind of marked a milestone for me in how far I’ve come in this program.” said Cousins. All the girls were really excited to have a goal scored so early in the game and “set the tone” of what was to come.
Maia Scopel (‘22) highlighted that “every goal was really good for us, especially the first one. The first one is always really exciting.” With 14:25 left in the first half, Cousins took another shot that landed in the back of the net, making the score 2-0. Energy was building between the girls as they worked hard and played through the first half. At halftime, the score was held at 2-0.
Quickly into the second half, Cousins scored a third goal for a hat trick. It wasn’t until just over six minutes were left in the second half that Souhegan snuck one by Oyster River’s defense and goalie Slama, making the score 3-1. The girls wanted this win, so they stayed composed and worked hard to the end and took the win when the final game buzzer went off.
Maddie Merrill (‘22) said “we needed that win, the team in general. Towards the end of the season, [when] we don’t have many regular season games left, it was really a do or die moment [for playoffs] and we also really wanted to win because it was our senior night.” Scopel shared a similar feeling and said, “going into [the game] we all felt pretty connected, and this being a pretty big game to win, we were already in the moment and excited about it.” Merrill and Scopel along with the 10 other seniors on the girls’ soccer team were thrilled that they had won their senior night game. The excitement among fans, and the team was amazing and the game really showcased how much work these girls have put into their soccer season and what they are capable of going into playoffs.
“It wasn’t until after the win and getting to spend time with my teammates that it all suddenly became super bittersweet to me. It really snuck up on me, because I remember being a freshman on senior night thinking ‘I’ve got a long way to go.’” It’s crazy how time works but I’m so happy to have spent it in this great program with such great girls.” Cousins said. A lot of people, especially athletes, feel the same as Cousins, that time is slipping away as it flies by and memories are made. Scopel also said, “it made it a lot more fun to be with your teammates who you’ve grown up with.” Overall all 12 seniors were really happy with their performance and the outcome of their game. Moving forward to playoffs, they plan to carry this energy and enjoy every moment of it.
Senior night has been a great tradition for many years and Tuesday’s celebration was a great way to honor the seniors on this team.
Photos by Madelyn Marthouse