Article and Photography by ALICE MARY HERDEN
Weeki Wachee, Fla.- Weeki Wachee High School girls’ soccer team won their first district championship in school history.
“The girls were super excited that they were able to bring this home for their season,” said Weeki Wachee girls soccer coach Amy Mainella. “They were so happy, and they played with their whole hearts yesterday.”
The Lady Hornets ended their season at seven wins, eight losses, and four ties- bringing home the district championship trophy even with a lot of injuries throughout the season.
“We really had an injury-prone season and had a lot of key players with serious injuries. We had to work as a team to get through the season,” said Mainella. “It wasn’t a great season on paper, but we knew that we had districts in our sights, and that was what we were focusing on.
Throughout the season, Mainella maintained the girls’ training, as well as ensuring their health and recovery from injuries.
“The girls worked really hard on their training because this is what they really wanted to do, bring home a district championship,” Mainella said. “They came together as a team, managed to pull it through, and we are going to stay strong and see how far we can take this.”
This season is Amy’s first season coaching the Lady Hornets. She built trust and inspiration from the sidelines and helped instill that into her players.
“Seeing the girls do what they love- what they do on the field and finishing it off the way that they have, whether we won or lost last night, they played with their heart, that’s all you ask as a coach,” Mainella said. “I preached all year… play with what is inside of you, and the result will come, and that’s what they did last night.”
