Jemicy Women’s Soccer: A Season of Growth

“Irene is our good luck charm!” This is what I heard while on the sidelines of the Jemicy Women’s Varsity game against Oldfields in late October. This was because some girls that had not recorded a goal in a game scored for the first time. This was the closest game that the girls had all season; the final score was Oldfields 5, Jemicy 4.  It was great to see the team have some success and to see all the girls play a sport that they love. 

The women’s soccer team is growing. Even though they had some challenges they still managed to have fun while playing and became stronger as a team. It is amazing how far each of the girls has come in their soccer journey despite not playing soccer throughout the pandemic. Women’s soccer started its season on September 2, 2021, and had 24 players on its roster. Their season record was 2-12; this wasn’t the record that they wanted but the girls got better each day and each game. There were a lot of 9th graders on the team this year and Coaches Bierer and Dimaio were excited there were so many. The team had four seniors Elizabeth Strouse, Belle Clement, Oliva Green, and Hope Gray. Clement and Green served as team captains.  

Mr. Bierer is the women’s head soccer coach, and he said that since they did not play last year, he was excited to have lots of girls this year. When I went to the games to see him coach he liked to joke around but also gave good advice. I heard Mr.Bierer say “you girls are crazy” whenever a player did something really cool.  He said, “It was a very good season.” If you were at the game on the sidelines you could tell that Mr. Bierer really loved the group of girls that he had. 

Mrs. Dimio, the assistant coach, was excited to have a lot more players “even though most of the girls haven’t played on a High School soccer level because we haven’t had soccer in two years.” She told me that the energy that the girls had was fantastic. There were some challenges and she remembers trying to help the younger girls remember to bring their uniforms or wear the right color. They were learning to do those things since they are now in High School. Since most of the girls haven’t played soccer she had to help them to understand the rules and what to do at their position.

 “Ouch, Yo, Bruh.” When I was on the sidelines, I heard the girls saying these words when a player was trying to get the ball from them. While still trying to have fun, they were also being competitive while playing. When you see the competitive sides coming out of the players, it makes the game more fun.

One of the players on the team is senior Belle Clement. She wants to play in college but she said, “It would have to be on an intramural or club level, it would just be for fun. I do not want to compete at that high of a level.” She would love to play soccer but not for her college career. When I saw her play, I saw how good she is. She had the game sense locked down when she played and tried to help other players score goals. Belle is a leader for her team on and off the field. 

One of the newer players on the team is Caroline Harrison. She started playing soccer when she was four years old. She played defense this year and told me, “I am a very competitive person.” During the game, she was being aggressive and making smart plays. When you see her play, you can tell that she is a competitive person. She told me that, “I played forward my whole life but when I came here, I switched to defense.” The Jemicy team is lucky to have players like Caroline who are willing to be unselfish and fill needs for the team.

Another newest girl that joined the team is Annie Gerardi, who is the team’s goalie. This is not her first time playing soccer, her family has encouraged her to play soccer. She said that “if it wasn’t for my parents pushing me I would not love soccer as much as I do now.” When I was at the soccer game, she was doing phenomenal in the goal. She made a number of great plays in that game.  

The women’s soccer team has overcome many challenges this season. This will set a solid foundation for many years to come.