“Live in the moment… Be in the moment,” is a message from senior captain of the women’s soccer team, Jordan Nichols. Even with a season anticipated for a playoff run pushed back to the spring, and a global pandemic that separates a brand new team, New Haven Women’s Soccer is not letting their circumstances get the best of them. They are not taking the opportunities they have been given for granted, though they may be few and far between. With a long road to “normal” still ahead, plans to see this team come out of this situation better than ever.

From the 2018 to the 2019 seasons, this team has moved up from 15th to 12th in the NE10 Conference Rankings. With wins on the rise, this upcoming spring season is anticipated to be one of their best in recent years by four senior leaders of the team.

Senior Gabriella Chavez described last season as a “stepping stone” from the previous year, “We went from losing to being more congealed as a team,” said Chavez.

Senior captain, Samantha Roth, described that the team’s attitude in some games last season sparked her realization of a new team.

“Everyone worked as hard as they could, literally to their last breath,” she said, “I was really hoping that was something that we could continue this fall.”

Fans should be ready to see new faces, as 19 freshmen have been added to this year’s roster.

“I think the freshmen are going to be a vital part in how the season is going to go, there’s a lot more talent,” said Roth in regard to the new team.

An addition of this magnitude can be tough, but they made it work through weekly team zoom calls. With the season being pushed back, there is more time for players to work on themselves and their skills in order to come back this spring.

“One of my main goals for this season is to honestly have fun,” said Natalia Roberts, a senior veteran of the team, “it’s so bittersweet, I’ve been playing soccer since I was like… Since I could walk so, to know that I’m going to be transitioning into adulthood and that I’m not always going to have this, it’s very sad but I’m just trying to make the most of everything.”

“Taking things day by day is a big thing for us because we never know what’s gonna happen,” said Chavez.

Although things are certainly different because of the current circumstances, the team thinks that they should remain positive. While it is easy to focus on the negatives, this team is looking forward to their potential season and making the most of it.

Make sure to follow the action this year at @unewhavenwsoc on Instagram and @UNewHavenWSOC on Twitter.