REVIEW
Girls' Football Seasonal Review
女足赛季回顾
1
Brief Intro
The SSSA 23-24 season finally ended after the intense trainings and competition in the past four months. The Girls' Football Team finished their season winning 3 games and losing 2. This year was a particular challenge to the team as most of the team members were new to the varsity team.
Throughout the entire year of practice, the team worked hard as a whole and improved on all different football skills. Players tried their best to practice and play; the transformation of the team was tremendous. Although there can be disappointments with the results, the progress made in the process is an important legacy that will be passed on to the future years of the football team.
Words from Captain:
It had been a good season, and I am proud to say that, “We did it.” I don’t want write any clichés, but I sincerely want to say that I am really proud—really, really proud—of every training we had and every minute we spent together, and no language can encapsulate the great pride I have in my heart.
2
Meet The Team
Susan Jiang #16, Y12
(Captain)
Position: Striker
Season Stats: 2 Assists
Susan Jiang, captain of the team, enters her fifth year on the team and her third year as a starter. Recovering from injuries in the previous season, Susan switched positions from center midfield to striker and uses her position to better conduct attacks by giving off threatening passes. Susan’s fine ability in ball control and first-touch passes, as well as her powerful shootings right to the corner of the goal, pressures the opponent constantly to focus on defending her. Susan’s corners were also extremely important to the game. As the captain, Susan also constantly takes care after every player’s well-being, hyping up and encouraging the team before matches every time.
Marissa Warren #22, Y12
Position: Goal Keeper
Previously a midfielder, Marissa joined the season late and took position as a goalie. Marissa’s basketball skills made her defense excellent, making crucial blocks and even making important dives to protect the ball that saved the team from being scored. Previously playing as a midfielder, Marissa often gave hard long passes that directly found the wingers and strikers in the other half of the pitch, giving the team a huge advantage in attack. Marissa’s join in the team was crucial for the team.
Melody Li #1, Y12
Position: Goal Keeper
This was Melody’s first season on the team. Having learned to play football for less than three months, Melody still was excellent in goal, catching the ball when opponents approached and giving off good passes to start the game. Melody even made very crucial blocks, tipping high-speed balls off the goal, saving shots in the match against Gubei and the friendly against QBD.
Sophia Zhou #9, Y12
Position: Left Wing
Season Stats: 1 Goal
Sophia played as a left wing throughout the season. Though a senior, she always engaged in trainings and missed very few sessions. She demonstrated maturity and calmness in decision-making when handling the ball. Moreover, there was considerable improvement in her ball controlling skills and physical abilities, such as stopping the ball in better positions to prepare for later actions and saving the ball from going out. This is unsurprisingly due to her dedication in daily practices and activeness in asking the coach relevant questions in time. Sophia also brought positivity to the team, especially during stressful exam sessions, and cheered everyone up to enjoy playing together.
Angelina Wei #7, Y11
Position: Left Wing
Season Stats: 2 Goals, 7 Assists
Angelina was the “Mbappe” (fastest player) on the team. This is Angelina’s third year on the team, and her second year as starting seven (given no season the year before), and underwent a position change from striker to left wing. On the left side, Angelina uses her speed and skills to easily surpass defenders on the side and crosses to her teammates in the middle for a threatening shot. Sometimes, Angelina was even able to make shots by herself at a sharp angle, stunning the audience in awe. Angelina’s corners were also crucial to the game, as two goals were earned this season purely from her threatening corners.
Candy Deng #5, Y11
Position: Center Back
Season Stats: 1 Goal
This is Candy’s second year on the team and her first year as a starter. As a center back, Candy was steady in defense and skilled in conducting attacks as well. Gifted with superb timing and an innate understanding of positioning, Candy demonstrated an ability to instantly read the game and make intelligent decisions when in possession. Furthermore, Candy’s long passes down the line combined both speed and accuracy, making the turnovers to be threatening right on the spot. She also demonstrated multiple times her ability to intercept high balls passed from the opposing team and steal the ball. This blend of game awareness and technical quality made Candy a crucial orchestrator in the team's attack.
Minnie Zhu #6, Y11
Position: Right Wing
Season Stats: 2 Assists
Minnie, switching from her previous position as a defender to a mainly wing player, improved a lot this season in her ball control and positioning. Coordinating with midfielders, she had much better decision-making skills by the end of the season and improved in learning when to pass and dribble, as well as where to run when without the ball. However, Minnie was a bit unstable in her performance, especially under match conditions, as her anxiety of losing the ball engulfs her confidence to play as she did in trainings. Her awareness of self-reflection is worth learning from, but meanwhile, it is important for Minnie to continue practice her ball control skills so she can stay calm when having the ball.
Jane Yao #27, Y11
Position: Right Wing
Season Stats: 1 Goal
Jane played both as a defender and a right winger in this season. She is a dynamic player with quick movements, whose impressive footwork and dribbling ability stood out. Defensively, Jane is not afraid to put in a strong challenge, using her physicality and tenacity to win back possession of the ball. She is a well-rounded player, but honing the ability to quickly identify the best passing option could help her potential be fully exposed.
Cici Ma #4, Y11
Position: Striker
Season Stats: 2 Goals
Cici converted from midfield to striker this year and worked hard to adapt to her new position. As a striker, the demands on her shooting skills were higher. Throughout the season, Cici improved her shooting skills and coordinated with her teammates to adapt towards this position. Unfortunately, Cici was injured toward the end of the season and was absent from two friendlies and the semi-finals. However, she still supported everyone by volunteering to be a goalie when the team is in need during the finals.
Amy Geng #10, Y10
Position: Center Midfield
Season Stats: 8 Goals
MVP
As the MVP of the season, Amy was a crucial player for the team. Amy enters her second year as the team’s starting seven and has changed from left wing/striker to midfielder. Amy’s excellence in ball control and accuracy of passing drives the team to push forward and attack. Despite facing three or even four defenders, Amy always finds ways to break through the defensive lines of the opponents, either with strong passes to her teammates or by dribbling and surpassing defenders, threatening for goals. Additionally, Amy was able to powerfully shoot goals from tricky angles and at extreme speeds, making it impossible for the opposing goalie to save. Amy was also quick to defend in turn overs and made several important tackles during the season. Amy conducted 2 hat tricks among the 5 games played. She fully deserved this MVP.
Taylor Cao #12, Y10
Position: Right Wing
Taylor was also a fast player on the team. With her exceptional agility and flexible footwork, she was capable of changing direction in an instant and gliding past defenders on the side. Taylor’s speed and acceleration off the ball make her a true game-changer at times. Throughout the season, her awareness of actively running into space when not having the ball and her ball control skills improved immensely. However, it was somehow quite unlucky that her performance in friendly games was more outstanding than in league games. Perhaps she could practice finding better opportunities before shooting and passing the ball to coordinate with teammates more to further explore her potential.
Dora Ye #20, Y10
Position: Center Back
Season Stats: 1 Assist
MIP
Dora, a rookie to the team and the MIP of the year, improved a lot since her first game with the team. She often made excellent passes down the sideline to support her teammates and made surprising first touches that moved the ball directly to the first line of attack. Towards the end of the season, Dora sometimes also took up the position of a winger and had highlights in training and friendlies where she gave high quality, direct assists through coordination with her teammates. Additionally, her defensing skills are worth highlighting, as she was good at blocking opponents in 1v1 encounters.
Chenfei Lv #3, Y10
Position: Left Wing
Season Stats: 1 Goal, 2 Assists
As a lefty, Chenfei demonstrated an excellent mindset in match games, often making creative decisions in the match that threatened the opposing team’s goals. She was always able to be in position to shoot the goal directly and was also able to make excellent passes for her teammates to shoot and score. She was very vocal when seeking to receive the ball on the pitch, shouting out teammates’ names so that it can be passed to her immediately, a trait that many other players lacked.
Betty Yu #21, Y9
Position: Center Back
Season Stats: 2 Goals
Being the only Year 9 on the team and a rookie, Betty earned her starting seven position through her excellence in defense. Her pressure against opponents and closing down of space was crucial on many occasions, providing important tackles and allowing turnovers for the team. Betty’s decision-making when she had the ball and her ability to powerfully shove the ball into the right space for attacks earned her the nickname “Best Hoof” (quote Joshua). She and Candy together form the team’s strongest wall of defense.
Dorothy Luo #LUBO, Y10
Position: Center Back
Dorothy joined the team late in the season but still demonstrated her talents and passion towards football in trainings and matches. She played as a midfielder and defender, equipped with good ball controlling skills. Dorothy never risked any decisions and thought well before she reacted. Her vision on the field was noticeably broad, allowing her to make wise, incisive passing choices that fueled many continuous attacks for the team. She will surely improve further next year as she gains more experience.
3
Words From Coach Milan
After half a year of training with YK Pao Girls' Football Team, my conclusion is that they possess a fighting spirit and good quality. The lack of some technical parts was always replaced with their never-give-up motto and big stamina. I believe that if they attend every training from September and we start immediately with strong technical/tactical/physical training, they will improve much more till the end of the first semester. My goal for the next semester is to improve their group tactics, 7vs7, 5vs5, 3vs3, 2vs1 and final 1vs1, and I believe we can make better results than last year. Until next semester, try to keep a ball with you during school breaks and practice for at least 30 minutes per day. It brings a lot of benefits to your body and enhance and stimulate your mind. See you soon.
——Milan Vlaisavljevic
4
Words From Seniors:
#16 Susan Jiang:
To everyone on the team: It was a great honor to have known you all. There was a Friday when I was wandering on the street, and football team memories came flooding black to me, like butterflies on a morning flower. I recalled the first time I was chosen for a game - I couldn’t believe it when Mr. Coxon handed me the consent form for the game, but he chose me. I remembered the time Fanny asked me for a selfie, the time we won the house competition for Summer and I scored a penalty, the time we lost our away game and I couldn’t regain calmness… And I knew my feelings for this team were too deep. The team is the first place where I really belonged to and has already became an non-severable part of my life. I used to worry about what would happen when all the seniors on the team left, and like a dream, it is now my time to leave. Yet unlike all my past environments of the future, I can now proudly say that the team is playing better than ever, and a bright season awaits. I can’t stress more what an honor it was for me to play with you all. I love you guys some much, and please remember to come to training next year! I promise this is not goodbye and we will see each on the pitch again sometime in the future. Ha’way the lasses! (Says Mr. Coxon)
#9 Sophia Zhou:
I’ve prided myself in graduating from YK Pao without regret. That’s not true. There was one regret: not joining the varsity soccer team earlier. Soccer is the second team sport I tried. For someone who was used to relying entirely on oneself, it was a transformative experience. The overflowing joy that permeates one’s body when ANY one on the team makes an amazing move cannot be captured with words. I am eternally grateful to every peer in the varsity soccer team and to all the amazing coaches - for all the up and downs you brought me, for being my anchor to YK Pao beyond my grade, for birthing the first spark of confidence and pride in not just as me alone, but also as a part of the YK Pao soccer team.
#1 Melody Li
As a senior and a newbie to football this year, I honestly did not expect that I would miss this team so much after graduation🥹. No one discriminated me for not knowing anything about football. And everyone cheered each other up when there was any good performance. Even though we only had a few games before graduation, every game is, I’m saying with my heart, truly memorable.
What I really love in this team beside the lighthearted atmosphere, tons of smiles, and close relationship with each other, is the professional spirit and determination, taking every game seriously,
There are two specific lovely moments I have in my mind: I had my first proper game as a goalie in the SSSA league but it was against our biggest opponent. Even though all of us tried hard to prevent them from scoring, they still managed to score in extremely difficult angles. I tried everything to stop, but we still lost in the end. I was drowned in self-blame and sadness, but Minnie, Chenfei, Angelina, Amy, and all the teammates came and congratulated me on my performance about how I blocked a shot from midfield. A part of my heart melted at that moment.
Another time was during the last friendly game we had together, and the opponent team was missing teammates. We lent two teammates to them. What surprised me is that even in a friendly game, even though they were originally our teammates, everyone tried their best and treated the game seriously and enjoyably. I still kept the picture of some of us showing off our ‘game-wounds’ in my favorite folder! ☺️🥰
To sum up everything, choosing to play in our football team is the best choice I have ever made this year. I will miss and continue loving every member on the team😣😣. Fight onnnn!!!!!!
#22 Marissa Warren
Though my time with the team was short this season, I have so much love and appreciation for my girls :)
As a senior, my life is packed with academics and other sports. However, I have grown to show much affection towards my soccer teammates. From being a midfielder in 11th grade with all my seniors, Marina, Nina, Vanda, and Tiffany, to name a few, and finally rejoining the team in 12th grade to be put as a goalie.
By only playing a few games, I can say confidently that the thing that drives this team isn’t just success, but the love, warmth, and joy we all bring to one another. Things such as succeeding a new offense move, getting a massive block on defense, and tackling the ball as goalie; no minor success goes unnoticed. I’ll never forget the chants and cheers we heard from the sidelines.
My favorite moment is the one game against YWIES (I think!) where we mixed and matched random layouts of teammates and everyone played. Amy with the hattrick OHHHHH!! We scored so many goals and everyone had a chance to play. The game was easy so I was just chilling on the midline :P
But seeing everyone happy, playing however they could made me realize how sports bring all of us together. We have each other’s backs (*cough Minnie getting revenge yelling at the other team* love you, Minnie.)
Good luck with the next season and hopefully we’ll snag a gold this time:)
As Mr. Coxon says, play on girls, play on.
Special Thanks To...
Coach Milan:
Thank you for all the trainings you prepared, all the tactic meetings before matches, and all the beautiful words you said to us! Your Chinese is already very good, and please teach us more Serbian in the future!
Mr. Smith:
Though you made embarrassing TikTok videos out of our team photo, we still want to thank you for all the time you spent with us. It was you who encouraged us during the hard game against GuBei, telling us to have fun. Hope you will still come to play with us next year!
——Susan Jiang (on behalf of the whole team)
Also, Thank You to...
-- Supporters
Thank you all for coming to watch our games and supporting the Girl’s Varsity Football team. We will train harder and improve even more next year.
-- Photoghraphers
Thank you, Barry Shen, Catherine Zhou, Joshua Greenaway, Lance Ding, Leo Deng, Todor Qin, and everyone else who helped us by taking videos and photos during our games!
-- The School
Thank you to the YK Pao School for providing us with the conditions to train daily for the entire year; this greatly helped the team as it allowed us to improve a lot throughout the season.
——Girl's Football Varsity Team
Conclusion
Although the results were not as satisfactory as expected, the improvements the team made will last as a legacy for future years, as the team will only get better and grow stronger. We will continue to put more effort into this sport we all love and persevere through the years.
Let's go girls!
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Writers | Minnie Zhu, Amy Geng, Susan Jiang
Designer | Minnie Zhu
Editor-in-Chief | Catherine Zhou
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