The Wilby soccer team had a great run this year with a record of 3 wins, 5 loses, and 3 tied games. That is a marked improvement over last season, when the team won just one game and tied another.

The players were counting on a good run toward the end of the year, but never did they expect their coach to tell them in the final weeks that their season had been cut short. COVID-19 once again reared its ugly head and forced the season to end abruptly in mid-October.

“For the players it was like having cold water dumped on their heads and not believing the season was over,” said player Josh Cologne.

The team was looking forward to possibly finishing the season with a .500 record and showing what it could do in the state playoffs. It has been several years since Wilby’s co-ed soccer team made the state playoffs.

Assistant Coach Mr. Christian Imperato said he, too, was heartbroken and felt like the season should have been played until the end.

“It was only one more week of games after completing the regular season,” he said, adding that he does not understand the decision.

Captain Messiah Harling expressed similar sentiments, but he was happy that he had an opportunity to play during the pandemic.

“Being captain this year was hard but also memorable during the pandemic,” he said. “I loved playing with my teammates through the thick and thin and wish we could have played in the playoffs this year. …One thing I’d like to say to my teammates who will play next year is to stay confident, use each other and never let eachother down because you’re not only a team: you’re a family.”

‘Happy and Scared at the Same Time’ 

Harling’s mother, Ms. Rashel Harling, said she had mixed emotions about letting her son play this year.

“I was happy and scared at the same time,” she said. “I was scared because of Corona and the contact sport, but I was also very happy to see him have passion for the sport and it was a way for him to finally get out and be active.”

Note from the Author

(Note to readers: The author of this article, Juan Garcia-Vasquez, also played on the soccer team. He is a senior who played goalie this year. He wrote this note.) 

When we all realize that something we love dearly has to come to end so soon or unexpectedly, we always reminisce on the good times and even the bad times. Personally, I’m sure the senior players of the team were able to remember this season (well) and will look back on it in their bright future days to come, while the younger players will carry on the Wilby soccer family traditions until it has to be passed on again.