Soccer and basketball have been the two sports that I have continued all throughout high school. I am extremely passionate and driven when it comes to practicing soccer. As I am constantly wanting to improve and become a better and more skilled player. Since I joined OSC I have grown not only as an individual but also as an athlete. Over the years my mentality has changed and I have been able to become a lot stronger. Now, that I have gained all this experience and learned a lot, I have been able to guide and help the younger girls on the team. They have expressed their gratitude for my motivational talks and support, as they can also get lost in their own minds. Mentality is probably one of the most important aspects of being a successful athlete.
This year I was appointed soccer captain alongside senior member Karla. I took the leadership position with honor and determination to support the girls in all possible aspects and lead our team to potential success. These past two weeks, we played Colombo International School (CIS) twice. The first game we played with them was our first game of the season. It was a trial game for us as we were testing players in different positions and the potential formations we could use at SAISA. This game was challenging physically more than it was mentally. As the sun was right above us as we all continued to play with nothing less than a 110% of effort. The heat as been our biggest challenge as players as our energy gets used up faster, making it difficult to play an entire hour on the pitch. Though, this was an issue the girls pushed through and we ended up wining with a final score 5-0. The beauty of this game was that the goals scored were by a variety of players, not only the strikers. This demonstrated our strengths as a team offensively. It boosted our confidence leaving us excited to participate at SAISA, where the competition is a lot higher and harder.
The geckos had been training tirelessly in the scorching sun for the past couple weeks, as they prepare to compete at the SAISA tournament. The first half of the game the girls weren’t performing as expected. It was suspected to be due to the nerves as this was only their second game of the season. However, in the second half through effective communication and perseverance the girls were able to take the lead. Only a few seconds into the second half, Karla took the corner which Sofia then shot straight into the goal. Not long after Ritisha received an assist from Disara and dribbled past the defense to secure another goal. Though the heat was extremely unbearable, the girls only continued to put in their maximum effort. Karla then assisted a cross to the strikers, Rashmi ran in from right wing and shot from the corner of the box scoring OSC’s third goal. The girls didn’t allow this lead to reduce the efforts on the field. Not long after Lizzie received a pass from midfield and crossed the ball to her striking partner Ritisha who shot her second goal. To finish off the game on a high note the goal keeper Emily cleared the ball only for Lizzie to gamble and score the fifth and final goal for OSC. The girls ended with a final score of 5 – 0 to CIS. The girls also had an unbeatable defensive line that caused CIS to be called for offside balls continuously. The motivation and dedication demonstrated by each member of the team made this rewarding victory possible.
Later that week, we proceeded to play another match against them on our home pitch once again. It was important that we went in with the same uncertain attitude, rather than being overly confident. I have explain the importance of this to the younger girls as they needed to understand how important the mental aspect is, when it comes to succeeding. I was impressed with the attitude of the team, each player put in their fullest effort and only continued to push their limits. The formation we played with for this game was shifted from the normal 4, 4, 2, to a diamond minefield. This made us a lot stronger offensively as we had 3 strikers and two wingers. We were able to take home another victory with a final score of 6 -0. I was immensely proud with the attitude the girls maintained the efforts they put into the game. It really demonstrated our improvements over the course of the season. The performance from these two games made me excited to see what our team will be able to do at SAISA.
