The middle school gold soccer team huddles together to share words of encouragement and support. Eighth-grade player Isabel Kromwyk said the season was very enjoyable. “We’ve definitely grown… and we all kind of grow with each other,” Kromwyk said. (Photo by Archer Athletics)

Archer’s middle and upper school soccer teams practice on the back field, allowing for a quick transition from class to practice. However, due to the recent wildfires that broke out across Los Angeles, the gold soccer team was unable to play until school resumed Tuesday, Jan. 21, shortening their season by two weeks.

At the University of California Los Angeles’s field, Archer’s gold middle school soccer team, coached by Jamie Fink, won their first game Wednesday, Jan. 29. The team scored eight goals against Geffen Academy, resulting in an 8-0 win.

Although many games were canceled due to low air quality from the fires and tractor damage on the field, eighth grader Haley Lazarus said the season itself was still worth it.

“Even just at practice, it’s just really fun to hang out with people. And I’m glad I did it because I love soccer, and I love [playing] soccer at school,” Lazarus said. “It’s my highlight of the year, so even though we’re only going to have one or two games, I’m still glad I did it.”

Despite only having two games and a few practices, sixth grader Lila Stewart said head coach Jamie Fink took advantage of practice time and was able to provide purposeful drills and time to bond with peers.

“I think Coach Fink handled it very well,” Stewart said. “Because even though we haven’t been able to have games and stuff, we’ve still been able to have a lot of fun with practices and just talking as a team.”

Stewart said she wishes there were more opportunities to compete. She said she believes additional games would strengthen bonds with her teammates, create more fun moments on the field and provide an opportunity to put their practice into action.

“It’s kind of disappointing. But since it is my first year, I don’t know how many games they would normally have,” Stewart said. “I definitely assume a lot more, but it is pretty disappointing that we haven’t been able to have our full season.”

Lazarus also wished they had more games and practices.

“It’s my eighth-grade year, so I feel [like] I wanted it a little bit more. And also the team’s just very different because, for the past couple of years, there were a lot of seventh and eighth graders on the team,” Lazarus said. “It just feels different because we just haven’t had the games, and I feel like that’s a huge part of the season and also for bonding as a team. There hasn’t been as much of that, so I haven’t gotten to know the team as well.”

Although there was a separation between grades at the start of the season, connections between teammates grew, Lazarus said.

“Coach Fink has done a lot of work to, in drills, make sure we’re integrating between grades,” Lazarus said. “We’ve made a big group chat where we’re all kind of talking, and I feel like I’ve gotten to know them a little bit better, which is nice.”

Without Fink’s essential role of helping the players connect in practice, eighth grader Isabel Kromwyk said she would not feel strongly bonded to her teammates.

“I think the season has turned out well. We have encouraged each other, and I think also we’ve had way more connectivity because of these events,” Kromwyk said. “We’ve talked more, and I’ve noticed a lot more connectivity between the team.”

This season was different compared to others in the past, Lazarus said. However, she said that the growth as a teammate was evident, making the experience worthwhile.

“I think it’s kind of a bittersweet season because we didn’t get the season that I wanted,” Lazarus said. “But I also am still so glad that I got to play this season, and that I got to still have the fun on the team that I did have.”