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For 13 consecutive seasons, the girls’ varsity soccer team has shown the city that it never gets tired of being a champion.
On May 8, the Cardinals came out of Boxer Stadium victorious once again with a close 1-0 win against the rival Washington Eagles. The Eagles gave the Cardinals the competition they were waiting for all year. From start to finish, the game was not going to be a typical win. “In my previous three seasons the championship has been a blow-out, but this year we knew it was going to be a closer game,” senior goalie Rachel Baskin said. “A 1-0 win made it feel like we had worked harder to win and was much more satisfying than a blow-out.”
The Cardinals’ many attempts to score were thwarted by the Eagles’ sophomore goalie Jan Van Hasselt. The audience and the players were left on the edge of their seats until the last two minutes of the match, as freshman midfielder Zoe Charter-Kuo scored the game-winning goal. “It felt really, really good to score because then we were in the lead,” Charter-Kuo said. “It gave us more confidence and motivation.”
Though the Cardinals gained another city title this year, they are losing a long-time key to their success: head coach Ernst Feibusch. Feibusch has made this season his last and is retiring after 44 years of coaching at the school. “I wanted to make last year Feierabend (a colloquial German term for ‘finished’), but the girls were absolutely delightful and I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to stay,” Feibusch said. “Besides that, ego got in the way because I thought we would win another championship.” Feibusch trained generations of athletes and next year the legacy of champions will, hopefully, be continued by assistant coach Marcos Estebez.
The impending retirement of Feibusch gave the Cardinals yet another reason to win. “Of course we want to win every year, but this year was even more important because it was Mr. Feibusch’s last year,” junior defender Tamar Burke said. “We didn’t want to tarnish his amazing record in his last year. We pretty much dedicated this season to Mr. Feibusch and his amazing legacy at Lowell.”
Feibusch, after whom the Lowell soccer field is named, has contributed his passion for soccer in the city. He helped found the girls’ AAA high school soccer league, the San Francisco Junior Soccer League and the California Youth Soccer Association league. Throughout his coaching career, Feibusch has left his mark on Lowell soccer. “Without him, girls might not be playing soccer,” Baskin said. “He has started traditions at Lowell and will be greatly missed and always remembered.”
Feibusch is the perfect example of an inspirational coach who coaches for the love of the game. “I was practically born with a soccer ball at my feet. This was my life, my game, my love.” Feibusch said. “I would hope that (my players) would take up the fight to promote soccer and turn out to be decent human beings and coach for the good of the game.”
On May 4, the girls triumphed over the Lincoln Mustangs 1-0 in the playoffs. Though the Cardinals dominated the game, the scoreboard did not show a comfortable margin for the girls. “The team was a bit shaken up and we weren’t in our usual formation but we still made it through,” Charter-Kuo said.
Cardinals were originally seeded first and set to play the O’Connell Boilermakers in the playoffs. But a conflict regarding a player’s ineligibility due to the violation of an AAA rule concerning the attendance of class on game days forced the team to forfeit three of their season games. “The league rules are very clear about this – a player may not participate in an athletic event if they don’t go to school,” Estebez said. “I went over this rule earlier in the year and now I realize I’ll have to remind players throughout the course of the season.” As a result they were demoted to third place in the league, but that did not stop the Cardinals as they showed the league their fighting spirit, sliding past the Mustangs to reach the championship.
This year, the team had an abundance of talent and players from each grade but the girls’ close bond throughout the season helped guide them to success. “Talent is essential,” Estebez said. “But in tough games, players must be willing to play for and with one another.”
Although the girls could not walk away with a perfect record, they walked away with an impressive 9-3-1 league record. “This season was amazing,” Baskin said. “We are the most bonded team I’ve ever been on at Lowell. I love all the girls and we have been very successful which has made it even better.”
Though the team is losing many key seniors and their head coach, the girls look forward to next year. “We are going to have some really good freshmen next year and assuming Mr. Estebez does take over as head coach, I think we will be in good hands,” Burke said. “And even though we won’t have our seniors next year, I'm confident in the depth of our roster.”
Most Valuable Player
The Lowell’s choices for most valuable players are senior captain and sweeper Alissa Goldberg and sophomore midfielder Adrienne “Deedee” Pearce. Goldberg, a member of the team since her freshman year, has brought leadership and strength to the team. “Alissa was vital in keeping the back line together,” Burke said. “She was consistently strong and helped everybody out.” Pearce has been a solid player for the past two years, assisting her teammates in making their winning goals. “You can’t be an impact scorer if you don’t have someone to get you the ball,” Estebez said. |
