After a successful 2020 season, the Cardinal Mooney girls soccer team graduated nine of its starters. Knowing that the next season would be a challenge, the Lady Cardinals gathered a team of 17 girls, many of which had never played soccer before. With two girls granted only half a season, an injured teammate, and a new head coach, the Cards have faced adversity, and the season is only half over. To begin the season, the team had 17 healthy players consisting of two seniors, eight juniors, three sophomores, and four freshmen. From the start, it was known that two of these players, juniors Jett Englander and My’Kayla Jones, would be playing only half of the regular season due to the Ohio High School Athletic Association’s (OHSAA) student transfer rules. Englander and Jones recently finished off their halves of the season versus Warren G. Harding on Sept. 25, 2021, where Jones contributed by scoring one of the three goals against Harding. In addition to Englander and Jones, the Cards are also down another player due to injury. Senior captain Grace Raymer suffered a season ending injury during the Cardinal’s second game against the Boardman Spartans. Raymer explained that there is a ‘z’ shaped break on her clavicle. She needed surgery to fix the big break, and won’t be fully recovered until spring sports roll around. “I hoped to give it (soccer) my all this season. I’ve played for 15 years prior to this fall. I wanted to end soccer on a good note,” Raymer said. As the season began to change for Raymer, she kept a positive attitude and adjusted accordingly. Raymer said, “My goal now is to keep a presence on the team, and to take a bit of a coaching role. I want the team to always keep in mind why they decided to play soccer in the first place. It is a game of patience, perseverance, and teamwork. I want to see the girls learn from using these qualities.” |
As Raymer wathes from the sidelines, she helps Coach Dom Diorio as much as she can. Diorio, who is also the new head coach of the Cardinal Mooney girls basketball team, decided to step in as the interim head coach of the soccer team. He has already made a huge effort in building up the second half of the season. "The girls still have some conditioning to do, but it’s nothing they can’t handle," Diorio said. We’ll be in the armory (the school’s weightlifting facility) as well. Focusing on soccer as a team, and trying to build our skills, confidence, and trust in each other's playing." One of the main focuses during the rest of the season is for the girls to learn to love the game and to have fun playing with each other. Now that everything is set for the girls to continue, the work ethic and attitudes they bring to each practice and each game is what will set the tone for the rest of their season. As the season comes to an end, the playoffs are to start in the middle of October. The matches for playoffs have yet to be established, but cardinalmooney.com and @cardinalmooneyohio on Instagram and Facebook will have all of the information regarding times and places to watch the girls compete. As the girls build on their skills and level of play throughout the end of the season, they will be ready for any challenge that comes their way. |