Women’s Soccer
The Women’s Soccer team had a tough season, finishing with a win-tie-loss record of 2-5-7. The graduation of last year’s seven seniors could have played a role in the team’s rocky start. However, the loss of key players opened up several positions in the starting lineup which provided younger team members the opportunity to build up valuable on-field experience.
“Last year we lost players that were integral to our back line so at the beginning of the season we were worried defense would be our biggest weakness. However, as soon as the season started everyone stepped up and defense became one of our strengths,” comments co-captain Frances Jacobson ‘18.
Although there was strong new talent and leadership on the team, multiple players were out of commission due to injuries which impacted the performance. The team’s hard loss to University also placed them in a difficult position to enter into the postseason, a position that was only worsened by their loss to Head Royce after a controversial ruling on the deciding goal.
In the face of these adversities, Jacobson, along with her fellow captain, Carly Brown ‘18 focused on increasing communication and consistency. “Our biggest challenge was playing down to the talent of the other team. As a captain I strive to inspire the team to constantly compete at a high level and play our game, no matter the opponent,” states Jacobson.
In spite of the difficulties the team faced, they were able to tie with Urban, the top-ranked team in the league, and consistently defeat their opponent St. Joseph’s. Although the team was unable to secure a spot in the postseason, the players were able to maintain their solidarity and are looking to come out strong next season.
Men’s Soccer
The men’s varsity soccer team has persevered throughout their season with 7 wins, 1 tie, and 7 losses. The team, co-captained by Nathan Logan ’18, Harrison Gables ’18, and Kapp Singer ’18, has struggled to maintain a consistent playing record during the season. Singer, a defender, has been out the entire season with a back injury, a loss that hit the team hard. However, the large 22-member team has plenty of players who helped lead the team. Logan, a starting forward for the team, ranked twelfth in the North Coast Section Division IV Soccer stat leaders with 9 goals. Sophomore Marc Eidelhoch ‘20 is ranked fourteenth with 6 goals and junior forward Zeke Ruben-Moore ‘19 has 6 goals. The team ranked ninth in the North Coast Section Division 4 League and lost their game against Cardinal Newman.
Women’s Basketball
The Women’s Basketball team got off to a strong start with a preseason record of 10 – 4. The four senior captains, Emily Rupright ‘18, Natalie Pierce ‘18, Lauren Carothers-Liske ‘18 and Mika Chan ‘18, attribute their success to a challenging schedule and a positive team culture. Before the start of the league, the team already had 14 games under its belt and was able to use that valuable court time to make adjustments and gel as a unit. “In the past, the team has struggled to find our collective identity and come together as a group; that is why this year we have placed such a huge emphasis on team bonding and building chemistry,” says Pierce.
This effort to bring the players together off the court seems to have been positively affecting performance. However, despite their early success, the team wracked up several tough losses and finished league play with a 4 – 4 record. Lick was unable to defeat urban, losing to them by three points on both encounters. Additionally, the team suffered a 7 point loss to University followed by a crushing one-point loss at Oracle. Pierce attributes the recent losses to “nerves and a lack of confidence in the first half.” Moving forward, the team is looking to improve their consistency and mental game. “We need to work on starting games with energy and confidence! We have a ton of talent on the team but we need to be more assertive,” says Rupright.
Judging by their stunning performance in the postseason, the team was able to rally mentally and pull out the needed wins. In the semifinals game against University, Lick trounced the rival team, beating them by a margin of sixteen points. Carrying this momentum forward, the team upset Urban, who was undefeated in league, in the finals and ended their league season as BCL champions. The team then advanced to the preliminary round of NCS, before being knocked out of contention by Del Norte High school. Although the season ended on a loss, the team made their mark and was able to peak at the right moment to achieve champion status.
Men’s Basketball
With a successful preseason and outstanding record of 22-6, the Lick-Wilmerding men’s basketball team has had an exciting league season. The boy’s varsity basketball team is co-captained by Royce Fong ’18, Walter Lum ’18, and Luca Cavan ’18. Optimistic about the team’s strengths, senior Julian Chavez ’18 comments “the team has really good chemistry playing together. We all add our own skills to the team and always moving the ball, running and executing our plays.” With tough competition throughout the season, the team has stayed strong by building up their team dynamic. Chavez noted that “Each team has an identity. Some years it could be shooting and precision and other times it could be a height advantage with bigger and taller guys. This year it’s defense. Everyone plays hard defense and hustles. Over winter break, we played Riordan for the first time ever and managed to stay strong throughout the whole game despite Riordan being one of the top teams in San Francisco.” Although the team has lost stellar forward/center Zach Johnson ’19 to a tragic ACL tear, breakout stars like Allen Wilson ‘20 and Phin Horowitz ‘19 have performed extremely well and helped the team succeed. Despite losing the BCL playoffs to Stuart Hall, the team has a strong coaching staff and motivating captains which led them to an overtime win against the Arcata Tigers and the Piedmont Highlanders, continuing their NCS journey.
