Mimbas Hope to Improve on Strong 2017 Season

Coming back from a successful last season in which they went 5-7, the Mimbas, Stuyvesant’s girls’ soccer team, are confident in their ability to improve despite the departure of a few crucial seniors. “We have a bunch of newer players to fill [the spots of the seniors] so it doesn’t seem like we will be affected greatly,” senior and captain Allison Eng said during the preseason workouts and practices. “We only lost two starters who played midfield and defense.” This is very promising for this upcoming season and for many seasons to come, as the incoming freshmen are always very crucial for a team’s future.

In addition to these incoming freshmen, the Mimbas have a strong list of returning players as well. For instance, junior Selene Kaehny scored nine goals in 41 shots last season, including the playoffs. Junior Eve Hausman scored eight goals in her third season on the team, while sophomore Aki Yamaguchi had a stellar season, scoring eight goals and adding five assists. Eng scored one goal before her season was cut short by a devastating ankle injury that left her sidelined for the rest of the season.

The goaltending was very strong as well, as junior and goalkeeper Emory Walsh had a 0.72 save percentage on the season.

Because of the young talent being injected into the team, they expect to do better than last year and make the playoffs once again. The Mimbas will look to their star players, seniors Allie Lennard, Eng, and Lumi Westerlund to lead them to the playoffs and hopefully to a championship.

“Right now we are working on ball control, communication, and strategy. We’re realizing little kinks during practices and trying to fix them immediately,” Eng said. As the temperatures rise in this intense summer heat, the Mimbas are ramping up the intensity of their practices as well, eager for a playoff berth. By fixing the smallest of mistakes so early in the season, the team is able to pay very close attention to detail while building team chemistry. With an excellent blend of strong leadership, young incoming talent, and a strong work ethic, the Mimbas look destined to go far in the playoffs this upcoming season.