Stuyvesant Girls Soccer is Ready For The 2019 Season

It was 2-1 in the final minutes of the Mimba’s biggest game of the year. They needed one goal against Tottenville, a team that had gone 12-2 in the regular season, to advance to the quarterfinals of the City Championship. They were desperate for a goal to send the game to overtime. They had opportunities but were never able to fully break through with an equalizer. The girls were forced into an abrupt end to the season and were left to think about what could have been.

Overall, the 2018 Stuyvesant girls’ soccer team, the Stuyvesant Mimbas, had a phenomenal year. They were 8-4 in the regular season, which was good enough for third place in the Manhattan division. They even won their first playoff game as an underdog to James Madison. It is even more remarkable that the Mimbas had such a successful year with only three seniors. The team is looking forward to an even better year this season. “Last year was a great year, and we are hoping to build momentum for a better end to the playoffs by working on better ball movement and communication,” junior and captain Aki Yamaguchi said.

This year's team is led by a senior class comprising of seven girls and that is headlined by goalkeeper Emory Walsh, who only allowed 18 goals in 13 matches last season. Two key attacking players, Aki Yamaguchi and Shivali Korgaonkar (second-leading goal scorer), are looking to build off their impressive 2018 season, when they scored 14 and six goals, respectively. They will be asked to handle even more of the scoring load as they take the next step in their high school careers. This dynamic scoring duo could be the face of the Mimba’s for years to come. However, other players will have to play a bigger role this season to fill the void left by last year's seniors. “Last season, our seniors were the foundation of our defense. I’m confident that the underclassmen will be able to step up and fill their shoes,” Walsh said. It certainly won’t be one individual who will make up for the loss of the three seniors. Instead, midfielders and strikers, as well as the incoming freshmen, will have to take the initiative to track back and play defense in order for the team to be successful. Coming off of an injury from last season, sophomore Lucinda Bryce will look to play a crucial role in the Mimba’s attack and have a positive impact on the team for this season.

The girls will have to make up for the loss of their seniors while facing an increase in competition. “This season, we got moved up a Division, since we got third place last year,” Korgaonkar said. She further added that this year will be especially difficult because “every single game will be a challenge.” However, the team is welcoming the increased competition not only because it will make them stronger as a unit, but also because they will also have the opportunity to play against Beacon High School and Lab United, the two biggest rivalry games of the year.

Overall, this year's team looks poised to build off last season's postseason run to be the greatest one yet. Though they currently have more accomplished competitors, with many returning starters, the Mimbas believe they can make it back to the playoffs for the fourth consecutive year.