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Birds may seem tiny and harmless but the girls’ soccer team has ripped that misconception to shreds and proven that Cardinals are giants in the AAA.
Though most AAA teams can’t hold a torch to the Cardinals, the girls have put in countless hours of grueling training to ensure that they can outplay and outrun any opponent. “Our coach really stresses our physical fitness and stamina which gives us an advantage over the teams with a lot of skill,” junior defender Kristen Quan said. “We always try to work hard and non-league games keep our competitive spirit going.”
With the help of coaches Ernst Feibusch and Marcos Estebez the Cardinals are pushing forward. “Since we dominate in our league, it is easy to slack off. But (Estebez) drives us to stay in shape and improve our skills more and more,” sophomore defender Jillian Doherty said. “Being undefeated really pushed us to perfection.” Taking it easy doesn’t even cross the minds of the Cardinals. “We want to keep that spotless record not only for the reputation of the team, but for our seniors and the coaches,” she said.
Even though the Cardinals win relatively easily, they have had a fair share of injuries. “Last year there were a lot of injuries and some players are still recovering from them,” junior defender Danielle Goldberg said. Though the girls push through the pain of minor injuries, on some occasions players’ injuries have prevented them from playing, such as senior co-captain and sweeper Alissa Goldberg, who suffered from a pinched neck nerve, as well as sophomore forward Mara Woods-Robinson who has recovered from a torn ACL.
But nothing hinders the Cardinals’ skill in working together better than any other team. “We’ve been working hard as a team and have a lot of team bonding,” Danielle Goldberg said. “We understand how everyone plays and it makes us a lot stronger together.” On top of gaining chemistry on the field, the girls have built friendships off of the field. “There’s no awkwardness between new players and seniors and everyone really acts like a team,” Danielle Goldberg said.
On April 20, the Cardinals beat the Balboa Buccaneers for the second time this season 2-0. Though the Cardinals emerged victorious, the Buccaneers were able to hold off the Cards better this time around. “Last time we won by a lot so it was a huge accomplishment for them,” Quan said. “We play better on our field and it was hard to adapt to this field. They definitely felt the home-field advantage.”
The Cardinals’ perfect league record was tarnished on April 15 when they tied the Washington Eagles 1-1. The Eagles scored in the first half and their skill posed some challenge for the Cardinals. A goal by freshman midfielder Zoe Charter-Kuo tied up the game saving the Cardinals from their first AAA defeat. “We had so many good shots, but we just couldn’t get past their goalie,” Doherty said. “It was still overall a great game and we need more tough games like that if we really want to improve.”
On April 13, the Cardinals pummeled the Lincoln Mustangs 5-0, handing the Mustangs their first loss of the season. Though the team was missing key players Alissa Goldberg and senior goalie Rachel Baskin, the girls were able to fend off Lincoln’s feeble attempts at scoring with an extremely strong defense. “We were really worried about them as a competitor but they couldn’t keep up with us,” Danielle Goldberg said. “We struggled taking shots and we couldn’t really get a solid goal.” Despite this difficulty sophomore forward Alejandra Sanchez scored two goals in the second half, solidifying the win and leaving Lowell the only undefeated team in the AAA.
The Bay School Breakers brought the Cardinals much needed competition on March 26, but the Cardinals broke the Breakers 1-0. With their intense practices the Cardinals were able to easily out-run and out-last their opponents. “Our physical fitness helped us win,” Quan said. “We have some really fast players and being able to run through the whole game helps us keep the pace going.”
Come support the Cardinals as they seek to move one step closer to the championship at 4 p.m. on May 5 at Boxer stadium on San Jose Avenue in the AAA playoffs against the O’Connell Boilermakers.
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