That was it, the final whistle. I knew I had just played the hardest game of my life. The score didn’t matter, we had fun and played as a team. As we lined up to shake hands, my mind was going a mile a minute. The entire season flashes before my eyes in reverse. I saw each and every game, from the game in the pouring rain to the game that almost resulted in a fight.

I saw our first victory, every pass and every slip up. It was an intense game, at least two of our players were pulled do to injury. We scored three goals, one of which none of us will ever forget. How could we forget that marvelous goal from midfield? We made many mistakes, including an own goal, but it all worked out in the end. That first ever victory will forever go down in history.

Then again, our whole season made history. It was the first year our school even had a soccer team. I still remember the very first day of practice. Half of the girls had never played before and it took us awhile to get the team connection. That first day, was the most unorganized day of our season. Nobody knew what was going on and only a few of us knew what we were doing. We didn’t feel like a team and, really, we weren’t.

When the connection finally did come, it was like nothing I had ever experienced before. It was like we could read each others’ minds, I always knew where my teammates were headed and what they intended. As we finish shaking hands, I realize that this is the first real team I’ve ever been on. No, we aren’t just a team we’re so much more than that, we’re a family. By the end of the season we all knew we could count on and trust each other.

We walk toward the huddle and my mind is still racing. I have just now fully realized how much this season has changed me, how much my teammates have changed me. My team taught me how to be a team player and rely on other people for help. I went from being a shy girl who couldn’t really talk to anyone, to someone who could talk to absolutely anyone on the team. I learned that I can trust my team to listen to what I have to say and care about what it means; that has by far been the biggest change in me this season. We have made each other stronger and I wouldn’t trade that for anything.

As we stand in the huddle, we are all either laughing or crying. We’re so elated to be here, to have had the opportunity to play. I think back to our first game. I think that game was a rude awakening for some of the girls as to how physical the game really is. We lost terribly and didn’t have any idea what we were doing, but we learned along the way. When that first final whistle blew, none of us could stop smiling. We couldn’t believe that we had just played our first game of our first season.

Coach later told us of a comment made by the other coach that he had “never seen a team so happy to lose.” She responded with, “ They aren’t happy they lost, they’re just happy to be playing.” Even after this last game, we’re still just happy to be playing. In that moment, it finally hits me that we have just played our last first game.