Losing seniors from the previous year on a sports team can be hard enough; adding the loss of two other players due to injuries can make the season even harder. At the beginning of the year, Coach Dunn did not let the great loss prevent Perry’s varsity girls’ soccer team from having another great season. He found some talented soccer athletes to replace the injured players, starting midfielder, Kambree Meskill and starting goalkeeper, Carly Sandstedt.

Sophomore Taryn Pallas is the team’s new starting goalie and Gina Bracamonte has taken Meskill’s place.

Bracamonte states, “through a lot of hard work and help from Peighton Gumm”, the team had no major suffering from the loss, and recently Meskill has rejoined the team after recovering from her injury.

Pallas mentions, “how supportive the senior players on the team have been to her” on filling the shoes of Sandstedt as goalie.

It is evident that even though the team faced some difficult trials this year, they have come through on top with the record of 8-3-1 and will be continuing on to the state championships.

Dunn says, “Kambree’s back and it helps. We found a good mix, with Gina, Ashley, and Peighton. We’re all healthy and we’ve shown that we can play. We play good soccer and create a lot of opportunities. It’s disappointing we went to a lot of games in overtime against a lot of big games…and we weren’t on the right end of them, but I think that’s are growing pains. That’s where we’re learning to come together as a team and I think we’ve grown from it.”

Every team has its struggles and ups and downs, but what really makes a team great is having that support and encouragement from one another to do better, to be great.  Just like the seniors on the team have been encouraging Pallas in being the new goalie. Perry’s varsity girls’ soccer team has these qualities: along with talent, skill and dedication. There is no doubt that they will dominate the field when playing in the state championships.