By Karli Burns (Class of 2016) and Bailey Jaronski (Class of 2016)
The New Hope-Solebury soccer legacy lives on in this latest 2013-2014 soccer season in both the boys and the girls program. This summer, exciting opportunities in Europe await both teams. Sadly, the girls’ season is over, but yet again, the boys are District 1 Champions.
On Oct. 28, the New Hope-Solebury Girls’ Soccer team lost their first round of Districts to Delco Christian by a score of three to zero. The game was a fiercely competitive battle between both teams during the first half of the game. It wasn’t until the second half of the game when New Hope fell apart. In a matter of minutes, Delco scored. As much as New Hope tried to score, Delco was the one putting the ball in the back of the net. After a long, tiring second half, the buzzer went off and the heads of New Hope’s girls dropped.
Although the season is now over, the girls’ team has an exciting future ahead. The New Hope-Solebury Girls and Boys soccer teams are traveling to England next year to kick off their preseason. Both teams are very happy about the amazing opportunity.
“I’m really excited for the bonding experience between the boys and girls team and ready to make some memories while playing the sport I love,” said Aaron Nagg, a sophomore who plays for the New Hope-Solebury boys’ varsity soccer team.
Traveling to England for preseason will teach both the girls’ and boys’ soccer teams a different style of play and techniques they are not necessarily familiar with — different footwork and shooting techniques, for example. However, the players will not only benefit in a soccer related way. It will force them to step out of the New Hope “bubble” and experience how others live. It is a once-in-a lifetime opportunity that not many high school soccer players get to experience.
Although the girls’ soccer team had a rough going and lost in their first playoff game, the boys team went on to win districts for the fourth time in a row. Both teams have demonstrated tremendous effort and shown a great love for the game. It is clear that both teams have a bright looking future for next season.
When the teams are over in England, perhaps they can convince some of the English players to come over here for a year in an exchange program. Since a number of parochial schools we play recruit from a number of feeder schools, I see nothing wrong with recruiting from different countries to level the playing field.