When you’re a back-to-back state champion, the pressure is on to keep the streak alive. For the varsity girls soccer team, however, this challenge is nothing short of an opportunity to continue proving they’re one of the top teams both in the state and the nation.
Currently, the team holds a 14-1 record and won the District Championship Jan. 28 after defeating Norland 10-0 in the semifinals and Somerset Academy 8-0 in the finals.
One of the defining aspects of this team is their resilience. For example, last year, the girls faced a tough 2-1 loss to the Benjamin Buccaneers. Hungry for redemption, Heritage played the Buccaneers again this year and dominated in a thrilling rematch, securing a 3-0 victory.
Besides their skill on the field, the team also takes the time to connect on a personal level. “We started to build our chemistry up early in the season and [connected] very well this year. I have a lot of confidence in this team going forward,” senior midfielder Courtney Caruso said.
Junior forward Allison Aleman agrees. “The team has begun to mesh better than the past seasons, but for me personally I have a bigger role because there is more expectations of the upperclassmen to be good role models for the youngsters,” Aleman said.
The relationship between the upperclassmen and lowerclassmen is symbiotic; while the upperclassmen serve as role models for the younger players, the underclassmen look up to the older players.
“I look up to all my older teammates and can learn from all of them. Specifically, I look up to Jillian Miliffe, who is the starting goalkeeper. She has always been supportive and taught me many things about soccer and about life in general,” eighth grade goalkeeper Sydney Carlo said.
Looking ahead, they aim to continue dominating during regionals and of course, win states.
“This season, our goal is clear: to win states for the third consecutive year. We have put in many hours of hard work, pushing ourselves everyday to improve our fitness and skills…through our intense training and dedication, we are preparing to [be a threat] at states once again,” junior defender Zahira Freeman said.
The girls soccer team stands fiercely with “game face” looks on. This team has won the state championship for two years in a row – 2023 and 2024 – and plans to make it a “three-peat” this season. First, they must get through regionals. “As a team, we take every game seriously and play any team with the same adrenaline,” senior defender Natalia Dorn said. (Photo/Deuntay Johnson, @deuntaygjohnson on Instagram)
