By Akshita Joshi and Louisa Sandorff, Social Media Editor and Staff Reporter

With a tough training regimen, newly instilled mental prioritization and gratifying community building, the girls soccer team excelled this season — holding the number one seed in the District One PIAA 4A districts bracket. This is the first time in many years that the team has been on the top of the leaderboard. Holding a record of 18 wins, two losses and two ties, the team has progressed undeterred and concluded their season strongly.

The team received an all new coaching staff this year with coach Deane Mariotti as the varsity head coach and Kellianne Kaput as assistant coach. Focusing on possessive and shooting strategies integrated into different plays, the coaching staff took a different approach from other years. Greta Steege, a varsity captain, is the only junior captain and helped encourage the altered training methods implemented by the coaches this year.

“We’ve had a lot more intense practices this year for sure and we’ve started working on what we need to improve for upcoming games,” Steege said.

Along with the physical training regimen, the girls received a surplus of mental training this season. With frequent one-on-one meetings, the coaches ensured that the mental strength of the team remained strong and constant throughout the season.

“I think that there is a trap of looking too far down the road because you have to win every game to get there,” Mariotti said. “We spend a lot of time talking about building confidence and collecting the small wins.”

Further, the team channeled their hard work and dedication to render to others as well. Donating decorated duffel bags filled with personal care items, the girls organized a service project for the Family Services in Montgomery and Chester Counties.

“It (the service project) was a very positive experience for the team. We are fortunate to live in an affluent area, but we can sometimes forget there are less fortunate in our community,” said Francione, a junior on the varsity team.

While the team recognizes the importance of contribution to the external T/E community, they value their internal community in their often competitive environment. By hosting traditional bonding activities such as team dinners and the annual Linvilla Orchards Trip, the girls aim to improve teamwork in a non-soccer setting.

“This year we’ve been on a really good run, so doing these things outside the field really helps us keep the team all together and make sure we’re playing as one team and not individual players,” Steege said.

The bond present within the team allowed them to keep this number one title for most of this past season. Mia Galrao, varsity senior captain, recognizes the growth of camaraderie between her teammates this season.

“They’re (the team) the best thing,” Galrao said. “It’s like a second family and I spend every single second with them. We just need to work hard and do it together.”

Akshita Joshi can be reached at [email protected].

Louisa Sandorff can be reached at [email protected].