Soccer is a widely known sport and is pretty popular here at West High. Many students, like Hailee Brown, play and enjoy soccer all throughout the year, not just during the high school soccer season. She plays for Rush Soccer Club all through winter, summer, and fall.

During the spring high school soccer starts up and there she plays on Varsity until the end of the school year. She has played on both junior varsity and varsity soccer and she says, “I definitely like Varsity a lot more because of how much more competitive it is.” Although when she played on JV, it was a lot more laid back and she misses the easy, fun atmosphere. When asked to choose between junior varsity and varsity, she chose varsity. “I feel like my soccer skills improve because in games we are going up against some of the best girls in the city,” Hailee says.

Kayle Blackmore is a senior here at West and she is another student athlete that plays soccer for the high school team. She used to play club for many years, which is one of the reasons why she is one of our best soccer players here at West. Along with Hailee, she plays on varsity and loves it. She has never played on junior varsity, but definitely likes varsity the best because it is more serious and competitive.

“I love playing on Varsity because of the friendships I already have with the girls and how we all work together to make a great team,” Kayle says. She looks forward to soccer season every year and is excited to see what this year’s soccer season has in store for her and her teammates.

Mariah Bennett is also a senior here, and she played soccer her freshman, sophomore, and junior year for West. She played on junior varsity for all three years and loved it. “It was just so fun and laid back and I liked that my friends played right along side me,” Mariah says. Her favorite part about junior varsity was that you never got put down for mistakes, it was a learning experience and everyone would help out to teach you the correct way.

Everyone helped everyone out and it was just a great time to create life-long friendships. “The coaches were great coaches, but also a part of the team,” she says. “They were always there for us whether it was as a coach or as a friend.” She has no plans to play this year, but enjoys the memories of her past three years of high school soccer.

As you can see soccer is a very popular sport, and many people love it not only because of the sport itself, but the relationships you create and skills you attain from being a team player. Hailee, Kayle, and Mariah are just a few of the many people who play and this is only a sneak peak into the lives of these soccer players. They are not sure what their future has in store, but they all hope that soccer is in it one way or another.

Whether it is playing in college, playing for a club team, or just playing for fun with some friends. “I think sports are a great way to create friendships and I hope these girls stay in my life forever,” Hailee says, “I am inspired by their passion and love for the sport.”