By Robert Mulder - St. Thomas Aquinas High School
Photographer: COURTESY PHOTO
St. Thomas Aquinas athletic director George Smith, center, and Msgr. Vincent Kelly, right, congratulate the girls varsity soccer team on their back-to-back state championship. At left is soccer coach Carlos Giron.
FORT LAUDERDALE | For the second year in a row, St. Thomas Aquinas High School's varsity girls soccer team has won the state championship. Being “back to back state champs” is a tremendous accomplishment for the 2014-�2015 Raiders. It is also the girls' soccer team seventh national title and their 14th state championship title.
The entire team trained extensively, incorporating a tremendous passion for the game, and working hard to achieve their goal. Every player on the team displayed an amazing sense of leadership throughout the season, cheering their teammates on at each and every game. The team may have had ups and downs, but in the end they were able to overcome each and every obstacle.
During the state final game, the girls came through stronger than ever. The game was a nail biter to say the least, tied for the majority of the time. After seeing the girls work so hard the entire year, the crowd was anxiously cheering and everyone was on the edge of their seat.
At halftime, freshman Chloe O’Neil told her teammates, “Let’s do it for the seniors.” This gave the team the push they needed to dig deep, play their hearts out, and put two goals in the net.
Winning states is a feeling many players will only experience a couple, if not once, in their life. The bond these girls have created over the season and the amazing coaching staff played a large role in the team's achievements.
The entire school recognized and praised the team’s accomplishment at a celebration held on campus where team members received gifts, rings and medals, and the seniors were bid heartfelt goodbyes. Msgr. Vincent Kelly, St. Thomas' supervising principal, and George Smith, athletic director, commended the girls for all their hard work and dedication to both the school and the sport.
The school is recognizing the girls with a banner to be displayed in the main hallway. But without the relentless support of the coaches, the St. Thomas faculty, parents, and many others, this accomplishment would not have been possible.
This article was written by St. Thomas Aquinas freshman Sofia Julien.
