In the Mills College Soccer Team’s last game of the fall season, players battled it out and ultimately lost against an aggressive Simpson University. After the game, graduating seniors were acknowledged for their dedication to the team.
Fans, made up of students, friends and family members, rallied in the soccer field bleachers during the Nov. 4 game, holding posters painted with messages such as “Good Luck Seniors,” and, “Mills Soccer: Goal Oriented.” They were there to support the team’s five graduating seniors.
Senior Lisa Kelley, a tennis player who regularly attends games for other Mills sports teams, held a sign for one senior which read, “We (Heart) You Leslie Neill!”
“I am a student athlete myself. I appreciate support so I want to give it. It is fun when you know someone on the court and we are more dedicated this year because we are seniors coming closer to our last games,” Kelley said.
While Simpson won the game 3-0, two of their players were red carded, meaning they were kicked out of the game. One Simpson player was asked to leave the facilities for back-talking to the referee. Five yellow cards, or warnings, were given between both teams.
“The other team was too aggressive, with many fouls. I have never seen so many red and yellow cards. Our team was a little shocked,” said Assistant Coach Dario Arredondo.
Senior Rachel Dorney suffered from muscle cramps and was taken out of the game, and another player for pain in her knee. However, Mills remained positive. The Cyclones outranked their opponents and several Cyclone players shouted “We have almost twice as many girls as them!”
“Our team is definitely playing with dedication. The great thing about the team is that they don’t care if they are losing. They won’t play dirty. It is good to see teams surprised by Mills improvements,” said Chris Bostwick, boyfriend of junior soccer player Chloe Garcia.
In addition to Dorney and Neill, other graduating seniors on the team are Katja Davis, Erika Francies and Maggie Rust.
“I’m a little sad. I’m definitely going to miss everybody. It’s going to take me a while to realize it’s over,” said Rust.
“It’s bitter sweet! This year was my best year, my favorite. I only played on the team three years, when I could have played four, so knowing I could have played one more year is sad. I wish them the best for next year,” said Dorney.
“For our last game, we did really well but we could have done better. I wish the outcome would have been different, but we kept the tradition of cramps and injuries alive!” said Neill.
Assistant Coach Arredondo said, “This year’s team worked harder than any year, which showed in their season. It makes me so happy to see all of their improvements.”
