Nine seniors, one final season as a part of the Rider family, working together on the field for the last time.

“We came into the season with a whole bunch of injuries, we had like six to seven players out and some of them were very crucial players,” three year varsity player  Madison Davis said. “I think that was something that we had to overcome in the beginning.”

Davis and the other seniors also had to overcome the loss against Old High. Senior Oby Okeke said the team had to overcome the loss “because nobody was really expecting it.” Davis agreed, saying that they had to treat it as “just another game.”

“We learned that during a game we have to come together and play as a team and motivate each other to do better,” Davis said. “Not get irritated with each other when we’re making mistakes.”

The players say their main strength as a team is having a bond with each other, as it will show on the field, as three year varsity player Kelsey Pocowatchit said.

“Once we get things going and we have this chemistry and things start combining it goes really well and then everybody recognizes it,” Davis said. ”Say somebody makes this pass and it’s just like such an aha moment, just that one small thing that you feed off of on the next play.”

The advice these girls have for the lower classmen is to “stay in it,” first year varsity Leah Slade said.

“Keep playing, if you wanna go for it, go for it, we are gonna have bad games, I think we have all learned that by now,” Pocowatchit said. “But if you have a bad year, you can’t let that bring you down.”

Being part of the Rider soccer family, as the players say is, ”like a big family, like one family one team,” Okeke said.

“The best part of being apart of this team is the energy that they bring, the positivity, and the motivation,” Davis said. ”Once it comes down to it, a game is only one hour, out of the 24 hours, you got to make it count.”

This is what they will use to accomplish their number one goal, which is state, as all the girls put it.

“Everybody wants to win state,” Davis said. ”But I think a smaller goal than that is to get farther than we ever have.”

Make every hour count, Davis said, and by doing that the players will use the bonds that they have created. 

“We will never lose the friendships,” Slade said. “We just won’t see each other all the time.”

The players say memories made on this team won’t be lost.