The St. Mary’s JV soccer team faced a tough match last week, falling 9–0 to ASIJ in what players described as a difficult but eye-opening game. The team entered the match aware of the challenge ahead, but still hoping to make the most of the experience.
JV player Henry Lee (’29) explained that the squad understood their situation going in. “We knew our team was less fit than the opponent, and our best approach to the game was to prepare for a loss and aim to have fun,” he said. Despite the scoreline, the players were determined to give everything they had. “Even though we had less preparation than the opponent, we wanted to put in our all into the game.”
One of the biggest issues the team faced was limited training time. St. Mary’s has only three practices a week, and even then, the turnout is often too small to run full-field drills. Henry noted that this affected how well the players could work together in an actual match. “The challenges we faced was lack of practice as a team,” he said. “There are barely enough people to operate a full field game. Without practicing in an actual game, our teammates had less chemistry than ASIJ.”
Even with the loss, the JV team sees room for growth. Playing stronger opponents helps identify areas that need improvement, and the players remain hopeful as the season continues. Henry and his teammates are looking forward to more opportunities to build chemistry, increase fitness, and challenge themselves against competitive teams.
