SOCCER
Farewell to past four years of my lifeBY MARIA PROKOPOWICZ and MARY SLADE DUKE on MAY 16, 2014
It is hard to believe that this Tuesday night, I played in my final Rose soccer game. A 2-0 loss to our rival New Bern in the first round of the state playoffs, the game ended with a wave of emotion I did not see coming. I never could have anticipated the feeling that arose from realizing my Rose soccer career was coming to a close.
I am sad to see this season end, however as final seasons go, this was a pretty great one. After three years of the overwhelming Wilmington conference, this year was a breath of fresh air. Our new conference, combined with an incredible freshman class gave our team a new life. We were finally able to compete with, and often dominate, our opponents. Not only did we finish with a winning record, we accomplished incredible feats as a team. For the first time in over twenty years, Rose women’s soccer beat New Bern. The 1-0 victory has left a sweet taste in my mouth ever since. Aside from being winners on the field, our team won off the field, too. It is rare to find a group of twenty-plus teenage girls who can spend five to six days a week together and not have any drama. However, our team is like that. Really, not kidding. That is a huge win, and I love our team for it. This season was awesome, but I can’t deny that there were times over the past few years when I wanted to stomp off the field forever. There were times when I was so angry at myself or the coaches or the circumstances of the games that I almost lost it. There were losses so painful, yellow cards so unjust, and practices so grueling that I thought Rose soccer was going to be the end of me. Dramatic, yes, but seriously, there have been some rough patches over the seasons. I am so glad I played until the end. I cannot picture my high school years without the bus rides to Wilmington, the “mental toughness” workouts, and the pride I felt when running across the field after a win to thank our fans. The bonds that develop on the soccer field are not like a regular friendship. They are subtle and meaningful. I feel a bond with my teammates this season I have never felt before. Especially my co-defenders, Sara, Paige and Emmy, I am so glad I got to play with you. To my fellow seniors: we made it through the Wilmy years together, and I think that is pretty impressive. VA, Abby, Ellie and Madeline, I’m so thankful soccer brought us together. Erin and Lyda: I would have never survived it without you, I love you guys. Dameron and Smith, thank you for for believing in me as a player and a person and helping me to reach my potential as a half-way decent soccer player. Thank you for not giving up on me, even when I was a brat. These past four years have been quite an adventure: from being a meek freshman JV player who thought she was a star, to being a sassy sophomore who saw more bench than field, to fighting my way into a starting varsity spot. Rose soccer, I’ll miss you. Good luck in the future. Sink your teeth in and whatnot. Score lots of goals and have lots of shutouts. HTML Comment Box is loading comments...
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