This spring, two new freshmen joined the girls’ varsity soccer team.  Both Brooke O’Donnell and Abby Alexa are new to the team and excited for playing in their upcoming years.

O’Donnell plays midfield on the team, while Alexa plays as a forward.

“It’s really cool being a freshman on varsity because you get to play with people of all the different grades,” O’Donnell said.   “Playing here is similar to my club team because we possess the ball and pass it around a lot.”

Alexa believes the experience on a high school soccer team to differ greatly from Vienna Thunder Gold, the club team she plays on.

“I think it’s very intimidating to be on varsity as a freshman since there are so many juniors and seniors,” Alexa said.  “High school soccer is very different from club because high school soccer is faster play and more physical.  This team was exactly what I expected it to be.  I expected it to be more physical and competitive which is exactly what it is.”

Alexa scored her first in season goal against Marshall and scored another goal in a scrimmage against Chantilly.

Both freshmen are excited to be a part of a team of accepting individuals.

“Everyone is really nice and welcoming and helped me a lot,” O’Donnell said.  “I’m really excited for the rest of the season and hope that we do really well.”

“The other girls on the team are very friendly and welcoming,” Alexa said.  “I’ve made a lot of friends on my soccer team.”

Senior forward, Caitlyn Christopher, believes O’Donnell is a key player on the team.

“Brooke is a really solid defender and she has stepped up a lot this year going against players bigger than her and shutting them down,” Christopher said.  “It was also really impressive when she scored the winning goal against Herndon as a defender.”

Christopher also recognizes her other teammate’s strength on the field.

“Abby is small but quick and nobody should underestimate her,” Christopher said.  “She has also been an asset to our team stealing balls and creating great scoring opportunities.”