Loving the Sport and the Team: Girls’ Varsity Soccer

The Varsity Girls Soccer team’s season is underway and their camaraderie is stronger than ever. In their season, so far, they have won two games, tied once, and have lost eight. Although their losses outnumber their wins, they are truly a group of friends playing a sport they love. 

“Our team is so close this year,” said Gabriella Anserlian, a sophomore on the Varsity Soccer team. As for welcoming the incumbent freshman on the team, Anserlian says “All grades get along… the seniors are so amazing and welcoming to everyone.” 

Reflecting on the season, Ms. Lindstrom, an English teacher at Waltham High School and the coach of the soccer team said, “Our chemistry is great, we love to hang out and we have so much fun during the season… they have really gelled together nicely this season.”

Anserlian and Lindstrom believe that overall, the team has improved since last year with the introduction of more freshmen on the team, as well as the dynamic between all of the grades. They additionally believe the team’s technique and their ability to play as a team has improved as a whole since last year. The team is better at “knowing where everyone is on the field,” Anserlian says. Lindstrom added,  “We’ve been able to work different formations, and we’ve really been able to focus on combination… my focus was more on team bonding, and they’ve done really well with it.” 

As for the prioritization of soccer teams at school, Anserlian and Ms. Lindstrom both agree that many fall sports are undermined due to the football season taking place at the same time. “We’re not used to having a lot of fans at games,” states Anserlian. The reason for the low turnout is due to the fact that the team “plays at different fields,” Lindstrom explains. “It’s really difficult for kids who want to play but don’t have a ride… our seniors, though, are really good at organizing carpools,” she adds. Even though the location of their games can be tentative, Ms. Lindstrom says many teachers, staff, and students come out to support their games and the team, especially Ms. Tierney, WHS’ awesome librarian.

The girls on the team are a tight-knit group of friends who genuinely enjoy playing a sport they like. Regardless of attendance numbers, they continue to play hard and work harder every day, and hope to continue working hard for the remainder of the season.

Please support the Varsity and JV soccer teams, as well as other fall sports to show our Hawk Pride! Click here to see the rest of the Girls’ Varsity Soccer Team’s schedule, and click here for the Girl’s Soccer Web Page.

Special thanks to Gabriella Anserlian and Ms. Sydney Lindstrom, for taking the time to answer questions about the team.