Dear High School Soccer Team,

Thank you.

Thank you to the girls who welcomed me onto the team my freshman year. Thank you to the girls who underwent this journey with me every step of the way until senior year. And thank you to all the people who played a role in this part of my life for those short four years.

Soccer was one of the best parts of my high school experience. I always had a passion for the game, playing in recreational leagues and on a travel team since I was young. I loved the sport, but what made my high school soccer team special was the people who I played with. Every single girl on my team impacted me and my experience in some way. I never fully appreciated the moments I shared with these girls until they were gone. Now I realize how monumental these moments and these people were to me.

These were the people I spent summer mornings conditioning with, practicing every day after school with, and playing on the field with. These little things don't seem like much, but spending this much time with a group of girls created a bond between us that will always be there. From the second I joined the team my freshman year I felt included even though these girls never met me before.

I quickly became part of the team and made new friends with some of the older girls who I figured wouldn't bother to talk to me since I was only a freshman. Luckily, I was wrong. The energy and friendship among a team like this was something I never experienced before and something that is hard to put into words. It's just there.

Every year seemed to get better and better as I grew to know my teammates and form friendships with each and every one of them; however, every year got harder and harder knowing that I would soon be leaving this group of girls. Senior year finally came and it was one of my favorite seasons because I got to play with the girls who I started this journey with.

We were all finally on the field together, knowing that whatever happened would be okay because we had each other for support. Thinking about this season and some of the memories that pop into my head reminds me how grateful I am that I had this opportunity to be surrounded by humble, kind, loving, and supportive girls. There are no other people who I would have rather shared this experience with.

So to each and every one of you (you know who are), thank you and I love you.