Senior nights are a celebration for most sports as a way to show appreciation to seniors when the season comes to an end. On Jan. 10, the Varsity Girls Soccer team went up against Lecanto High School. Before the game started they celebrated Senior Night, as the rest of the team lined up in the middle of the field, seniors: Julianna Michael, Mia Hanson, and Gabriella Meyers took turns walking with two of their  teammates until they met their family to pose for pictures. As they walked, speeches they wrote were read aloud, remembering fun times they had with their team that they will never forget and reflecting on their plans for after graduation.

Hanson plans on going to a four year university where she will continue her athletic career in soccer while pursuing her bachelors for science in nursing.

“The bond of the team is really strong this year, everyone gets along and plays really well together. Senior night was really nice and the junior did a great job setting it up, it was really nice to be able to celebrate with all of my friends, family and have them have the opportunity to watch me play,” Hanson said.

Michael reflects on her favorite game of the season which was their win against Wesley Chapel High School as they have been district champions for the past two years. She hopes to win the district championship this year before she graduates and attends the naval academy.

“[We’ve improved as] we have some really good freshmen on the team this year and are definitely a lot closer. It felt really good [to celebrate with the team] because it’s been four years of hard work and soccer has kind of always been my outlet,” Michael said.

Senior night not only included what was seen on the field, the juniors also helped set up a surprise in the locker room.

Evann Pippio (’24) along with her sister were in charge of decorating for the night

“We bought balloons, streamers and confetti to decorate the locker room and then we got them gift baskets. They each had a customized blanket, customized hot chocolate bombs, candy, and a sash to wear. It felt good to do because they helped a lot throughout the program. So it just felt good to give back to them and show them how much we appreciate them.

The girls won their senior game against Lecanto with a score of 1-0. The last game of the season will be on Jan. 19, against Cypress Creek at home. The girls will continue to prepare in the upcoming weeks in hopes to accomplish their goal of winning the district championships in a few weeks.