After a season that closed with Evanston becoming 2021 Illinois High School Association Regional Champions, the girls soccer team aims to push themselves further into State playoffs, led by a strong group of seniors.

Following tryouts the week of February 28, girls soccer began the season with a non-conference match against Highland Park—a team that the Wildkits defeated 2-0 last year—on March 14. 

Senior Brealyn Viamille, who will be continuing her soccer career at Florida International University after graduation, says that the team has many strengths and that they succeed because of their reliable dynamics.

“We don’t let the other team take control over the game, and we’re very united,” Viamille says. “Everybody’s on the same page. If somebody does something wrong, we hold each other accountable. And we walk off the field as friends.”

Fellow senior Shea Ackman agrees. 

“We’re just all friends,” Ackman says. “We hang out a lot outside of soccer, and we do a lot of team bonding. I think that’s what makes us work the most, because we communicate so well.”

As Viamille states, “Every team is our rival.” 

Among games to anticipate are conference matches against Niles West and Maine South, on April 19 and April 26 respectively.

Last season ended with a loss against New Trier, a 2-0 game that prevented ETHS from securing a Sectional title. The defeat both frustrated and energized the team.

“We wanted it bad last year, but obviously things didn’t go our way and that’s okay. I think we’ll get farther this year,” says Viamille.

The team faces New Trier on May 15, which will decide the length of their season.

“Our freshman year, we had 14 or 13 freshmen pulled up to varsity,” says Ackman. “The team is basically the same because this class has so many soccer players.”

With such a large senior class, players are ready to take on their last high school season and fill leadership positions within the team. Underclassmen worry about the void their graduating teammates will leave after this year, but the experienced team holds wisdom to impart.

“That senior position is more of a leadership role,” Viamille reflects. “This being your last year, you don’t want to take this for granted. You want to play as hard as you can, and you want to get everybody on the same page. This year should be our most fun year, especially for the seniors.”