The girls varsity soccer team started the season off strong with a win against Collinsville on April 13 and a win against O’Fallon on April 15, making their record 2-0. 

Considering Edwardsville’s varsity is extremely young compared to other teams in the conference, both wins were unexpected. 

Senior right midfielder Brynn Miracle was not sure what the outcome against Collinsville would be. She said that Edwardsville’s ability to stick together is mainly what allowed them to win.

“I knew going into the Collinsville game with such an inexperienced team that it was going to be tough,” Miracle said. “But Collinsville is also a team that we’ve always been able to come out on top to. It wasn’t anything we couldn’t handle…We definitely rose to the challenge, and that’s what let us win the game.”

While the win against Collinsville was unexpected, it does not compare to that against O’Fallon. O’Fallon’s starting line has seven division 1 committed athletes; the battle between the two was comparable to that between David and Goliath. 

Junior forward Payton Federmann said that Edwardsville’s ability to maintain extreme effort is the reason Edwardsville was able to beat O’Fallon. 

“Going into the game against O’Fallon, I knew that I had to stay positive. I thought that no matter what the result was, it would be beneficial to our team,” Federmann said. “With that being said, I didn’t doubt my team at all. I knew that every single person would give 100% the entire time, and they did…Beating them was unreal. The moment we won was amazing, and now all I feel is proud.”

With the direction the season has gone thus far, Edwardsville has shown that age does not always matter. Because the team consists of so many underclassmen, junior center midfielder Olivia Baca predicts that the next few years will be strong for Edwardsville. 

“Since so many of the girls are going to be with each other for the next few seasons, it is my hope that mentally, physically and socially we will grow together as a team,” Baca said. “I think that as we do grow together, it will bring a good outcome for the future of the program.”