Only 11 active players on a team is unheard of.
Yet that’s what happened to girls’ varsity soccer on Thursday, Jan. 15, when they fell 1-0 to Hillsdale High School, dropping to sixth place in the Bay Division with a 2-3-1 league record.
“It’s tough to play when you don’t have subs,” Flaherty said. “The fact that the 11 managed to do that for the duration of the game was pretty good.”
The Panthers were the underdogs in the game, fielding only 11 players out of the usual 19 due to illnesses and injuries. Head coach Andrew Flaherty said the injury struggles were a major reason why Hillsdale had the upper hand.
“It was a tough one. It’s a game where we didn’t have all of our players,” Flaherty said. “Obviously, some are sick, some are injured. And so it’s a game that we knew we would have to make some rotations and adjustments before the game because of that.”
The game featured back-and-forth play until Hillsdale eventually scored near the end of the first half. The Panthers were unable to find a way to respond, which led to their eventual defeat.
-
Senior and co-captain Mika Haggarty fights against a Hillsdale opponent for the ball.
-
Senior Avery Speight races against a Hillsdale opponent for possession of the ball.
-
Haggarty dribbles the ball in preparation to pass to sophomore Natalie Chen.
As a result, Flaherty and assistant coach Sophia Young said they encouraged taking care of one’s health during the season to help prevent more absences in the future.
“It’s a really tough season, two games a week, so also emphasizing taking care of your body and just getting hydrated and doing everything you can in preparation,” Young said.
According to Flaherty, seniors and team captains Mika Haggarty, Gaelle-Anne Foy, and Sophia Mausehund have taken on leadership roles this season, setting strong examples for their teammates. He said this could help push the Panthers to more wins in the next few weeks.
“We have a really good, motivated senior group, and so that’s what they’re playing for,” Flaherty said. “So I think now it’s making sure that everybody else gets on board and follows in their footsteps, and just really being committed to the program from here on out.”
Young added that the captains also emphasized staying committed to one another to improve their play in the future.
“One thing that I did hear our captains talking about is just holding all their teammates, including themselves, to a high standard, and being committed to the program and treating it as a number one priority,” Young said.
