Meet the Captains: Girls Soccer

Kathryn Maclean

(Photos/Kathryn Maclean)

What sport are you a captain of? I am captain of the girls’ varsity soccer team. 

When did you first begin playing this sport? I have been playing soccer since I was bribed onto the field with donuts at age five. I stepped on and have yet to step off.

Do you want to continue this sport in college? I plan on playing soccer at the club level in college.

Who was a prominent coach in your sports career? Why? A prominent coach in my soccer career would be my dad, who coached me through my youth years and now at the high school. He sees potential in players that they sometimes do not even see themselves, and has the one of the best perceptions of the game that I have ever seen. His positivity and enthusiasm are reflected in each player he coaches and he balances a high level of competition with being socially-welcoming toward new and returning teammates. 

What other activities/clubs are you involved in? I am a part of the National Honors Society, the sports editor for the school paper, and I do senior portraits and other photography as a side job.

How do you feel going into this season? I feel as though the girls’ program is currently looking the strongest that it has in the past couple of years. While I may have a slight bias, I think we have two upstanding coaches who will not only push us to perform the best that we possibly can this season, but will also set the precedent for players in the coming years. Our senior class is especially strong and I am looking forward to the opportunity to show off our diligent work from the off season.

What are some goals set for the team this coming season? How do you plan to achieve them? Some of our goals as a team consist of working to finish corner kicks and crosses, as well as controlling the midfield and taking shots that we may have shied away from in the past. We have been practicing as a team since early July, and I am confident our efforts will not slow until we have proven ourselves.

Who are some big opponents/rivals? Why? Natick has been one of our rivals for as long as we can remember, as it is always a physical and skillful battle. We have performed well against them in prior years and plan to further that with victories this season. 

 

Sophie St. George

(Photos/Kathryn Maclean)

What sport are you a captain of? I am captain of the soccer team. 

When did you first begin playing this sport? I started playing soccer when I was around four.

Do you want to continue this sport in college? Yes, I plan to play in college. 

Who was a prominent coach in your sports career? Why? My most prominent coach is my new/current coach from club soccer, Matt Jones. I feel like I have made more progress playing for him in less than a year than I have playing for any other coach.

What other activities/clubs are you involved in? I run indoor track and I am the Publicity Coordinator for the student council.

How do you feel going into this season? I feel pretty good. We have a ton of returning players and the majority of this team has played together since 5th grade, so we have been waiting and building up for our senior season for a while.

What are some goals set for the team this coming season? How do you plan to achieve them? I would say our main goal is to win the Bay State title along with getting far into the playoffs. We definitely have the ability to do so, we just need to focus on scoring in the final third.

Who are some big opponents/rivals? Why? Weymouth and Needham are always a big opponent for us as we are very equally matched with them and they are always tough competitors in our league. 

 

Catie Powderly

(Photos/Kathryn Maclean)

What sport are you a captain of? I am captain of the girls soccer team. 

When did you first begin playing this sport? I have been playing soccer since I was in kindergarten.

Do you want to continue this sport in college? I do not plan on playing in college. 

Who was a prominent coach in your sports career? Why? Mr. Maclean has taught me everything I know about the game. He has been my coach since I was in elementary school and is now the coach of the varsity team. He has supported and believed in me throughout the years. 

What other activities/clubs are you involved in? I am also the softball captain, part of the student council, the math team, STEM academy, and Spanish club.

How do you feel going into this season? I feel very hopeful. We have a very strong senior class that will really lead this team and help guide the younger girls. 

What are some goals set for the team this coming season? How do you plan to achieve them? Making the tournament would be a good goal for us since we didn’t have the opportunity to play in it last year because of COVID. 

Who are some big opponents/rivals? Why? Natick has been great competition for us since middle school. They are always very physical games since we are both very competitive teams. Beating them would be a great step into making a tournament. 

 

Ella Thomsen

(Photos/Kathryn Maclean)

What sport are you a captain of? I am captain of the soccer team. 

When did you first begin playing this sport? I have been playing soccer since I was four.

Do you want to continue this sport in college? I would like to play in college. 

Who was a prominent coach in your sports career? Why? Coach Maclean has been a prominent coach because he has been my coach since the beginning of my career and has taught me everything I know about soccer.

What other activities/clubs are you involved in? I also play softball.

How do you feel going into this season? I feel confident in how far we will be able to make it this season and excited for a more normal season.

What are some goals set for the team this coming season? How do you plan to achieve them? Our main goal is to make it to the tournament at the end of the season. We will achieve this by playing physically and mentally strong and winning all of our games this year.

Who are some big opponents/rivals? Why? Our biggest rival would be Natick because they are our toughest competition and make us a better team each time we play.