By Hannah Maze
Warrior
Utica HS
Division 3, Yearbook
Sports Feature Writing
The burning in their chests, the shortness of breath, and the passion for the game engulfed the junior varsity girls soccer team during their season. After a series of injuries, the team was left with only eleven eligible players for the season. With any fewer players, the team would have been forced to forfeit.
Of the injured girls, junior Haley Walker was one of them who had to sit out.
“I had a concussion and two sprained ankles,” Walker said, “so I couldn’t play the whole rest of the season.”
For this team, the end of the season included districts.
“I was kind of happy that districts were at the end of the season,” Walker said, “but it was upsetting because I couldn’t play.”
On the other side of the spectrum, the eleven able-bodied players had to give everything they had during the fast paced games. With only the minimum amount of players available, no team member was left on the sideline.
The girls had to work with what they had, and there was not a single person to spare.
“It was tiring during the last halves of the games,” sophomore Elizabeth Balaj said. “We all slowed down and were not as energetic.”
The stamina needed to play a whole game of soccer is imperative. The strength to push forward is crucial. Starting out strong and active is easy; keeping up the pace for the second half is the hard part. Without alternates able to come in for tired players, the girls on the field never got to rest, making the game stretch out even further.
“We had to push to keep going,” Balaj said.
It seems as if the JV boys’ soccer and JV volleyball teams were more fortunate with respect to injuries. Both teams were injury free, and had all their players ready to go. With a full team, it made the boys team successful against rival Eisenhower.
“We were more successful because this year we tied Ike,” sophomore Filippo Giambanco said. Last year, the boys team lost to Ike, 0-8. This year, the team pulled together to deliver a score of 1-1. Although it’s more promising to have a healthy team, downfalls are still possible. Unlike the girls team, the junior varsity boys soccer team had to share play-time at some points.
“I think people did lose out on playing time since everyone could play the whole season,” sophomore Zachary Arafat said.
Kicking a soccer ball uses leg muscle, so the players need to be cautious to not strain themselves. Hyperextending a knee can cause a game altering injury.
“Pulled muscles in the thighs and groin are very common injuries people get from playing soccer,” Arafat said, though the junior varsity boys soccer team were fortunate enough to not experience any this season.
Similar to the junior varsity boys soccer team, the junior varsity volleyball team also played a season without any serious injuries. In volleyball, you have to be well conditioned in order to avoid getting hurt. Staying hydrated while practicing is beneficial to muscles. Volleyball players need strong bones to reduce the risk of injury.
“Shoulder problems, back problems, and knee injuries are common injuries,” sophomore Ava Hann said. Sophomore Brittany Stack was also aware of possible injuries. “Other common volleyball injuries,” Stack said, “are rolled wrists and bruises.”