Scoring 29 goals and with zero goals against them throughout the season, this year’s varsity soccer team became Liberty League champions after winning their game against Oakwood on Feb. 3. As a result of their success, the team qualified for CIF playoffs in the Southern Section, where they will be playing teams from different divisions.

“This year in particular is a little different, especially because I feel like this team has so much potential,” assistant coach Amelia Mathis said. “The tenacity that they’ve shown has really inspired me.”

Their first playoff game was against Louisville on Feb. 13 at Santa Monica College. The team won 3-0, with goals from freshman Rose Chuck and senior team captain Sophie Larbalestier.

“I haven’t been able to see anyone who doesn’t try,” Chuck said. “Everyone just tries so hard no matter what they’re doing.”

The team played and won against Louisville early in the season. Mathis recalls this game as being one of her “highlights.”

“We’d been playing here at Archer so it was a … smaller field. And then playing at Louisville, we were able to expand,” Mathis said. “The girls just really shined in that moment. That was the moment that I was first seeing … a different team than I’ve seen in the past.”

For the second round of playoffs, the team won against Tahquitz High School on Feb. 15 with a score of 3-2. They will be playing in the quarterfinals on Feb. 19.

“Every single person on our team wants to win,” Larbalestier said. “One of our goals for this season was to win CIF … and I’m so confident that this team, this group of girls, can do that.”

Larbalestier described her last Archer soccer season as “bittersweet,” especially going into playoffs.

“Soccer has played a massive role in who I am and who I think people at this school see me as,” Larbalestier said. “I’ve loved every second of it, and the fact that it can be over at any moment kind of makes me nervous … I’m going to try and keep my cool, … but I definitely say that there are nerves and butterflies going into it.”

Chuck hopes that in future years, the team will help make other new members feel included in the team’s community and traditions. Being a new member this year, Chuck described her relationship with the team as “really cool.”

“It’s been really fun getting to know the other grades and becoming friends with people in other grades,” Chuck said. “They were all super welcoming even though I was a freshman, and all the freshmen … felt really included.”