Saturday, September 17, the Lady Colonels soccer team visited Mercedes-Benz Stadium for an Atlanta United game against Vancouver United.

The team traveled down to Atlanta to watch the game together and glean some inspiration from the professional players. Atlanta United pulled out a 4-1 victory with Josef Martinez scoring a hat-trick. Right from the start of the game, there was high energy in the stadium as Kemb Austin received a red card, and Atlanta scored off a penalty kick.

“It was a really great time,” says senior defender Macy Wright. “I loved bonding with all of my teammates.”

The game proved to be the perfect background for a team bonding experience. The girls took up three rows of the stadium seats, making them into their own little spirit section.

“It was a great bonding experience,” says senior midfielder Hannah Johnson. “We got to eat and mess around while still watching and learning from the game we love.”

It is important that a team trusts and is close to one another. Soccer is the definition of a team sport; it is impossible to play as an individual. Learning to work with and trust your teammates is essential to a team’s success, and this is showing with Cass’s team. On the date of the Atlanta United game, the Lady Colonels were coming off of a three-game region win-streak, seeded at number four in region 7-AAAAA. The wins brought the girls closer together, but growing closer together is equally important in securing the wins.

When the Lady Colonels are able to have fun playing the game they love and trust one another, they truly gel and play as an unbeatable unit, as evident in their last few games. Creating a strong team starts with being welcoming and encouraging.

“Coming into this season, I didn’t know what to expect from the upperclassmen,” says freshman defender Jaden Musacchio, “but they are the most supportive people I have ever met. They push me to be my best and have turned our team into a family.”

This mindset is shared across the entire team, including Coach Shannon Brennan, who posted on the soccer team’s Facebook, “To the world, we are just a team. To each other, we are family.”