Photo courtesy of senior and opinion editor Ella Mendoza.
  Unsure of a season at all due to COVID-19, the San Luis Obispo High School girls soccer team have finished their season on a successful note after finally being able to play on the pitch again. Competing against five teams in the league, Atascadero, Arroyo Grande, Paso Robles, Righetti, and St. Joseph, they had an amazing record, going 9-1 in league play and 10-2 overall and becoming league champions for six seasons in a row!
  “At first I didn’t think we would be able to have a season at all, I had very little hope that we would, considering that we kept spiking in cases and things were improving very slowly. However, when I heard the news that SLOHS girls soccer was back it brought me so much joy because I wanted to finish my senior year playing the sport I love. It feels great to finally be back out on the soccer field and play with teammates that I hadn’t spoken to in a while,” said senior girls soccer player Ariel Sim.
  Playing their first game of the season on April 13 against Atascadero, they started with a bang winning 7-1! Two days later, they faced a tough opponent and rival team, Arroyo Grande, and took the win 2-1.
  “I was very nervous at the beginning of the season because all of us hadn’t played in a real game in a very long time. I didn’t know what to expect and I didn’t know what the outcome would look like. But once we started to play I became very excited because of the potential this team has,” said Sim.
  One of the most successful programs at SLOHS, girls soccer has an amazing record, winning a D1 CIF Central Section Championship in 2019 and league champions for the past six seasons now.
  “My experience playing soccer this year was definitely unique, although it was short and restricted due to COVID, I got closer to my teammates than ever before. This soccer season was one of the first times we all got to play a real game in over a year. Surprisingly, our team chemistry was still there after a year-long break as we continued to improve not just as players, but as a team as a whole,” said junior girls soccer player Tati Orozco.
  Following league play, the girls were seeded sixth in the Central Section CIF playoffs and competed against Frontier High School at home, winning 1-0. In the quarterfinal match, the girls took a tough loss against Buchanan High School, ending their season.
  “High school  has always been a safe space for me. It’s where my best friends are, it’s where I get to be creative, and it’s where I get to push my family. This year was so different and hard at times but it just made me appreciate the sport and my soccer family so much more than ever before. I haven’t been on a team that can bond so quickly and connect with each other to play and win games. I am so grateful for everything this program has done for me not only this year but the past four years,” said senior girls soccer player Allie Ryan.
Expressions is extremely proud of all of their accomplishments and can’t wait to see their success next season!