Playoff seasons begin with anxiety rising through the roofs, hearts beating walking onto the field, and determination and grit being spilled into their skill once the cleats are tied. Not only is this make or break time for the team as a whole, but for each player individually. Once districts took place for Pines Charter’s boys and girls varsity soccer, two players proved themselves through their ability to lead their teams to victory.
Juniors Gabriel Calderon and Madison Casanova were Charter’s player of the match for the game that sent them into the playoffs.
The boys’ and girls’ varsity soccer teams have both had different experiences when it comes to the journey to playoffs. For the boys, they have been holding their record of becoming district champions for 5 years now.
However, for the girls’, their journey was cut short last year due to a loss against Archbishop McCarthy.
As the memory of the loss replays in goalkeeper Madison Casanova’s head, she says “The loss last year was only motivation. It made us want to fight even harder to get this win and just play more as a team with more passion and inspiration.”
Casanova has proven herself to be a valuable asset to the team since her 8th grade year as the starting goalkeeper for the Jaguars. Throughout the years and the wins that she experienced alongside the Lady Jags, the district loss only opened her eyes to how valuable her years of experience on the team are.
“I feel like just being a starter since such a young age has given me the confidence to be even better and be more of a leader on the team,” Casanova states the importance of being able to navigate the younger ones. “It’s important to me now to just always be there for my teammates and even be a role model to the freshmen.”
On a cold Friday, January 24, the Lady Jags found themselves in the same position they were in a year ago: against Archbishop McCarthy in the district finals.
After a hard 100 minutes of dribbling the ball through the bright teal field, from either ends the ball did not reach to the back of the net, creating the intensifying round of penalties. These couple of shots on goal against the goalkeeper and one other player would determine the fate of the Lady Jags and if they are district champions.
For goalkeeper Casanova, she went into the rounds feeling confident in her ability to save penalties as she recalls them as her “specialty.” However, after not only scoring a penalty and blocking two, the Lady Jags were named district champions.
As for the boys, junior Gabriel Calderon experienced a different game as the boys’ varsity team began scoring goals early in the game. The boys went against Archbishop McCarthy as well and went into the game ready to put a rivalry to rest.
“How so?”, you may ask. Well, with a stunning win of a score 3-1, proving their determination to prove themselves as the champions they’ve been for 5 consecutive years now.
Before this win, Calderon had a similar start as Casanova. His story begins freshman year when he was one of the only underclassmen on the team that got playing time.
As time went on, Calderon saw himself transform into the player that he not only imagined but wanted everyone to see as well.
“I feel freshman year when I started, I had very low self-esteem and confidence. Then as the years go by, that confidence builds up with your age. And I feel like now I’m much more secure with myself and my abilities.” comments Calderon, as he recalls his growth as a player.
As a freshman, he watched the older players as they scored their way to becoming champs and advancing into further stages.
Now, he is one of those players. Calderon was an asset in the final score as he scored a goal that set them in the right direction. However, when asked how it felt to lead his team to victory, Calderon responded humbly.
“Because it’s not just me, it’s a team effort, you know? It’s a beautiful feeling to know you’re important, but coming into the game, we all were just super focused. We knew what we had to do, and we went out there and, you know, we did it.”
Both Casanova and Calderon went into the next round of knockouts for the quarter-finals for regionals with anxiety and understandable nerves. But, with both of their leadership qualities on their proper teams, they practiced and put in the work that ultimately came out successfully.
With both Casanova and Calderon sitting down side by side, they both commented that they wanted to be able to uplift their teams and make them believe in their talent.
Casanova, as a goalkeeper directing her team on the field, comments “I just want to be the person that’s there to bring up their confidence and motivate them so we can play as a team together and get this win.”
Tuesday, February 4th, marked a day where both Calderon and Casanova brought their player-of-the-match qualities to the table once again. With the Lady Jags going against Varela (8-0) and the boys against Sebastian River (6-0), they both can say they advance as semi-finalists.
On Friday, February 7th, both champions take their passion and talent to their semi-final game which will be surrounded by their fellow Jaguars.
No matter the outcome, Casanova and Calderon will forever be able to say that they proved themselves as players this season.
