The Lady Titans soccer team took on the Mater Dei Wildcats in a Sectional matchup on October 7. The Titans came into the tournament with a record of 13-2-1 and the Wildcats with a record of 9-8. The Wildcats clawed their way to the top, taking out the Titans 6-1.

The lone goal scored by the Titans was from junior Riley Bryant. She recorded her goal off of a penalty kick in the second half.

“I was very nervous and felt a lot of pressure to not let the seniors and the team down,” Bryant said. 

Bryant wanted to have a positive mindset heading into the game against the Wildcats.

“I was extremely nervous because I knew it was definitely going to be a tough game,” Bryant said. “I wanted to play my best for the seniors and keep the season going.”

Sophomore Ella Jones, who led the team in goals this year, noticed a shift in the feel of the game.

“There was a major turning point during the game,” Jones said. “After finishing the first half 6-0, we had definitely lost our confidence. We went into the second half strong after a talk from our coach. She told us all we could do at this point was have fun and play the best soccer we could, and that’s exactly what we did. We kept them from scoring and even added a goal of our own.”

Despite the loss, there were redeeming aspects for the Titans during the game.

“Overall we played a very good game as a team, especially during the second half when we started connecting our passes well and stepping to the ball,” Jones said. “We worked really hard and played our very best. It was a great way to end the season.”

The Lady Titans expected the game to be a challenge based upon the regular season meet up with Mater Dei. But, they anticipated things being more in their favor.

“We knew going into the game that it was going to be extremely tough after losing to them 3-1 during the regular season,” Jones said. “I think we expected a little bit of a closer game, but we played very well. And, I’m proud of how we did tonight,” Jones said.

Even though the season came to an end, the team had an enjoyable time.

“The game was rough, but we did the best we could and gave it all we had and had fun playing soccer,” Jones said.

When the last buzzer went off, reality set in for the seniors, that for most of them this was the last soccer game of their careers. The bittersweet feelings flooded the minds of those walking off the pitch for the final time. 

“Proud and thankful is what I would call this last season,” senior Chloe Field said. “It has been my favorite season by far. Leading this team with Madalynn Steckler and growing closer with them was amazing but accomplishing our goals made it even better. I’m so thankful for the best coach and these girls who are family. I’m sad that I won’t get to play with them again but can’t wait to watch and cheer them on in the future.”