Almost 16 years ago, PIAA mandated that girls’ soccer switch from the spring to the fall season, and said the change must be completed by the fall of 2012. This has caused repercussions for Southern Lehigh coaches and students alike.
This change occurred because girls’ soccer was a fall sport in western Pennsylvania and a spring sport in eastern Pennsylvania, so there was never a true state champion. Now that all of Pennsylvania plays girls’ soccer in the fall, there will now be one state champion.
This change has not only affected the soccer team but also the field hockey and volleyball teams. Athletes at Southern Lehigh have been aware of this change for a while, but that didn’t make the decision any easier.
Sophomores Lizzi Thom and Gabriela Silva both had to make a choice that was a lot easier said than done.
“What influenced me most to play [field hockey instead of soccer] was all the fun spirit days and how close the team becomes by the end of the season,” said Lizzi Thom. “The running is tough, but it is worth it in the end when we walk off the field winners.”
Gabriela Silva still looks back, and wishes she could have continued playing both sports. “I probably would still be playing soccer if it didn’t change,” she said. “I definitely miss it, and wish I could play again.”
The soccer team lost a lot of players when the switch took place this fall. There are fewer players, resulting in not fielding a full JV team, and there is a loss of talent due to girls having to pick sports.
Despite the problems, positives that have emerged from the change. Playing in the fall has allowed for nicer weather, better field conditions, and more summer time to practice. It has also made it easier for the freshmen to adjust, knowing that they had a team to back them up on their first day of high school.
“We’re unhappy to lose people,” Coach Rick Dreves said, “but I’m happy we’re losing them to other sports.”
The team has only just begun its first official fall season, and they’re ready to prove themselves.