OPGVS Season Wrap Up

On Friday November 4th, Orchard Park Girls Varsity Soccer played their first playoff game of the year against Williamsville North, which ended their season. For the past three years, Varsity Soccer hasn’t made it past their first playoff game, and this year was no different. Despite not making it far in the playoffs, the girls and their coaches, Mike Graffeo and Joseph Adamec, had a successful season on and off the field.
This was the last season for girls like Neave Doherty and Rosalie Takacsy, who have been on Varsity for four years. The playoff loss was hard on the girls and coaches, but they were grateful for their season nonetheless. This team was very close and had a big roster of twenty-five girls. This meant that there wasn’t playing time for everybody, so people contributed in other ways. Whether it was sitting on the bench and cheering on the team or playing forty minutes a game, the girls were just happy to be there. The season started off rough with three losses in their pre-season, but when it came to the actual season, they won their first game and continued on winning. There were rough games, but the team stayed solid throughout the season.
“I think a major part of our team’s success this year was because all of the girls put in extra work over the summer, and the team was closer than ever. Nine of our eleven starters were seniors who have played together for most of their lives,” commented Rosalie Takacsy. Rosalie has been playing on Varsity since her freshman year of high school. She contributed a lot to the team with her leadership skills by always cheering everyone on at halftime or telling them what they needed to improve on. This is what’s important to keeping a team going, and it fueled the girls to keep on trying after their devastating first three losses in the preseason.
“OPGVS gave me some of my best friends and best memories. I know we will all continue to be a part of it forever,” said Neave Doherty, who’s another four year player on the team who’s also a senior this year. Rosalie and Neave both dominated the field with both of them being the top goal scorers of the year; but, don’t be mistaken, all of the girls on the team contributed to having a good season.
The coaches on the team also contributed to the girls’ success this year. When asked if he thinks the team’s records reflected their ability Mike Graffeo, one of the coaches said, “No I don’t. I think the team played well and had a lot of possession but couldn’t find that last goal. But, I think there were games we could have won if we just got that last goal. Whether it was bad luck or we just couldn’t put it together I think the team’s skill, effort, and style of play wasn’t indicative of our record.”
The team’s record this year wasn’t all that great, but it didn’t reflect the abilities of the girls, and the coaches knew that. Outside of school soccer, Mr. Graffeo also coached the girls travel team, which meant that he had spent almost six years coaching all of these girls. This caused the team to feel like a family rather than just a team. This helped the girls connect on the field and improved their game. Joseph Adamec, another coach, was always helpful during practices and games. With his positive attitude he always uplifted the girls’ spirits, even when they were terribly losing. He also was always willing to help the girls during practices to improve.
The season has ended, and the girls have all gone their separate ways, but this tough season will always stick with them, along with the bonds they made.