Despite returning to school during an unusual year, the Bellefonte Girls Soccer team is goal-oriented – both on and off the field. 

The team has played and practiced since the start of the school year, and are high in spirits despite this year’s setbacks.

Coach Stacey Miller values her “four fantastic seniors,” including Mia Johnson, Addyson Manning, Madalyn Morelli, and Leigha Schrader Each one of them serve as role models to the underclassmen on the team, and have played together for years. The girls look forward to playing their final season together at the high school.

  Mia plays center midfield, a key position to distributing the ball across the field. With being so involved in the game, Mia also holds leadership on the field. Despite COVID-19 regulations that have been put in place for all athletes, Mia and the team have high spirits.

“I am most looking forward to stepping up and making the best out of the not-the-best situation and, as always, just getting back to playing soccer with my team,” Mia said. 

Leigha shares the excitement that Mia and the rest of the team contain when it comes to playing soccer this year. Her biggest goal is to have fun with the season, and make the most out of it.

“We want to make sure that we are having fun as much as we can because we never know when it will be over,” Leigha said. 

For the team, this means setting goals to work towards throughout the season, including taking more shots on goal in each game. This strategic move will give the Lady Raiders more of an opportunity to get points on the scoreboard. The senior girls together have been encouraging the team to take more goals, and become even more well versed on their offense and defensive sides. Addyson is the goalie for the team, and her main responsibility is to avoid any of the opponent’s goals from entering the net.

“I want to be a good leader to the team, and try not to give up any goals on my side,” Addyson said. 

The girls are also mindful of the precautions to stop the spread of the novel Coronavirus, as they have many measures that are met daily so the team can continue to play. The girls are required to wear masks when walking to the field, where they then stand on their own cone, spread six feet apart from each other. Their warmup and cool down rituals are also distanced, so the girls are not required to wear masks during these times. 

Team huddles are a tradition in many sports that are motivational and a great way to bond for teams; these meetings become something that is unique to each. Unfortunately, with social distancing regulations, team huddles look a little differently this season than previous years, which is a sacrifice the girls have to make. 

“We all follow these rules pretty religiously because anything is worth it to get out there and play the game we all love,” Mia said. 

Although Tuesday is the girls’ first game, the team is familiar with practicing and playing on the field during their preseason. In the past month, the team has had plenty of opportunities to bond with each other and come to terms with the official start of soccer season. 

Mia describes this year’s preseason as one of the best, as the girls were hard at work to improve and get better at the game they love. 

“I think we can have a really successful season. Everyone has shown up with great attitudes and just been here to play.”

Coach Miller has been a part of the girl’s soccer team for 20 years. This year proves to be unique, but nonetheless she is encouraging her team to make the most out of the year. 

“These circumstances have allowed us to put in extra training, focus more on soccer, and grow closer as a team,” Coach Miller said. “We appreciate the opportunity of being able to play.”

The girls have played 4 games so far, and hold a 1-3 record. The most upcoming game will be on Tuesday at Tyrone, where the Lady Raiders will take on the Golden Eagles to continue playing the game they love.