The Glen Rock girls soccer team had one of their most successful seasons to date. The four captains, Jillian Luftman, Julia Corry, Abbigail McCarthy and Sophia Pappalardo ended their senior year with a 16-4-1 record. Although they went into the season with low hopes, the captains feel an overwhelming sense of pride around the team’s growth. Looking back on the season, they are especially thankful for their coaches and teammates.
Jillian Luftman, number 16, is a left defenseman for the Glen Rock girls soccer team. She started her soccer career as soon as she could walk and first played for UK Petite. Her favorite moment from her senior year was the huge win against Park Ridge in the semi-finals, where they won 2-1 in overtime. Luftman credits their fantastic season to her coaches and teammates.
“We have really progressed as a team both on and off the field. We’ve gone from barely knowing each other to being like a family at this point with the help of Coach Grenz, Coach Yancy and Coach D’Alessio” Luftman states. As a senior, she says the thing she will miss the most about soccer are the crazy traditions. She will also miss being around her teammates every day.
Sophia Pappalardo, number zero, is the goalie for the Glen Rock girls soccer team. Sophia’s soccer beginnings started with her dribbling a ball around the house when she was two. Her favorite moment from her senior season was the win against Park Ridge.
“Throughout high school soccer I have been waiting for that dog pile moment, so that was definitely a highlight” Pappalardo states. After a long season, Pappalardo is going to miss spending time with her teammates.
“We spend hours a day together, so it becomes like family, so I’m going to miss everyone a lot,” Pappalardo states. After losing a bunch of last year’s seniors, she wasn’t sure what to expect, but she is now incredibly proud of the team they have become.
Julia Corry, number 15, plays center midfield for the Glen Rock girls soccer team. Julia’s favorite moment from the 2022 season was taking the win against Hawthorne on their field. “Seeing them cry on their senior night” was a true highlight for Corry.
“I didn’t think the team would be as good as we were. I think we became really close over the course of the season and it was really nice to see everybody play together as a team throughout the whole season,” Corry shares on the team’s progression. After starting soccer at a young age, this was her last year of playing. Corry states she is going to miss the team bonding the most.
Abigail McCarthy, number ten, plays center midfield for the Glen Rock girls soccer team. McCarthy started playing soccer when she was three for her pre-school. Soccer was a big part of McCarthy’s routine; spending all those hours a week is what she will miss the most. Her favorite moment from the 2022 season was beating Hawthorne.
“They were just so cocky going into that game, everyone just really showed up that day, and it wasn’t like a close game like we actually destroyed them,” McCarthy states.
“I remember watching the first scrimmage, like… it was horrible, none of us have ever played together before, but the coach really expected everyone, especially the freshmen to pull their own weight. The way our season turned out, like not just our record but just like the way we progressed as a team throughout the season was incredible.”