Neuwirth's Senior Night  (PART 1: Soccer)

Senior Night is an event to honor seniors and thank them for representing the school in various sports schoolwide. It’s a tradition that many schools across the nation have adopted and made their own; but ultimately, it's the celebration of the last season's home game for seniors, a last “hurrah” for them. 

At Neuwirth, the senior night of the 2023-2024 season for soccer and basketball was Thursday, January 25, 2024. They both ended up playing against a very talented opponent, USC Hybrid. Everyone on campus recognizes USC Hybrid’s competitive edge when it comes to sports, and if we somehow forgot–they came with a fighting spirit this season. That doesn't mean Neuwirth didn't either, as both sides tackled the court and field, respectively. In the end, the girl's and boy's teams prevailed and we as part of the student body at Neuwirth, are incredibly proud of all the hard work seniors put in for this game, they indeed deserved this year's senior night.

As a journalist for The Neuwirth Times, I tagged along with the girls' and boys' soccer teams, joined by the co-ed cheer team to Gilbert Lindsay Park for the first Senior game of the afternoon. The excitement, the game-ready faces and walk, and the adrenaline pumping throughout everyone in the group felt electric. Everyone felt it, the girls most since they were going after revenge for their last game against USC Hybrid where the game ended in a tough 4-3 loss. The boys, similarly were seeking to take the dub after a tie game 0-0 when the boxers were away. If you assumed that the games would be intense, it’s an understatement.

The time had come to warm up, but as much as the girls seemed ready for the game, emotions were everywhere; anxiety mixed with confidence was on the rise, and having a crowd of parents loudly and rambunctiously cheer on their children added to the intensity. It was sentimental for everyone: parents watching their child's last participation in a sport before going off into adulthood and seniors feeling the pressure of making the best out of their last game. It was very special to be there. 

Once the referee blew the whistle, the momentum, adrenaline, and anxiety skyrocketed in everyone. It was time. Both of the teams had some chance to score but none of them could end it in the 3 ⁄ 4 of the field. In the last 10 minutes of the first half Hybrid had struck Neuwirth with a goal. In the last minutes before the ref blew the whistle to end the first half we had Falcons released and flying in the nice blue sky. 

The officials made their way to the center of the field to wait for the girls to get on the field to be able to start the second half. All the girls walked in seriously to scare Hybrid. That might have worked because the Hybrid girls started the second half less aggressive; they started playing scared. The Neuwirth girls noticed and took advantage of it and scored the tying goal in the first 15 minutes of the second half. 

Hybrid didn't take long to respond, In less than 5 minutes Hybrid scored 2-1, which frustrated the Neuwirth girls. Luckily the Neuwirth girls had the right mentality to not let one goal bring them down as a team. They didn't let negative thoughts get in the way. Although everyone was upset already thinking they were going to lose in the last minutes of the game, Neuwirth had a free kick which led them to score the tie of the game. The officials did the honors by blowing the whistle at 3:25 to end the game and the girls felt the relief of not having a loss in their senior night as their lasting memory from their high school playing career.

Turning to the second match of the day, the boys took the field for a tight competition. Even if USC Hybrid only had 9 players to play, the Neuwirth boys were ready for the challenge. After some quick 5-yard sprints to set them up for them to be able to enter at a faster pace than Hybrid, the official blew the whistle to let the team set on their starting positions and start the game. 

The Neuwirth boys dominated with several opportunities, but the goalie and defense of Hybrid were very congruent, not letting the Boxers score in the first 15 minutes. But in the 20th minute, Neuwirth had struck the Trojans with a goal that the Boxers had deserved by dominating the game. The Trojans had their chances to score, but it was more of a number difference: They didn't want to risk having 4 players on top attacking so instead they had 2 full-time attackers but they played smart by not getting tired and staying in the defensive position. The goalkeeper kept making impressive saves to fend off the Boxer attack, but in the 40th minute,, just 5 minutes before the end of the first half, Neuwirth struck with another goal. 

Halftime featured the coach warning the boys to not get arrogant because he knew Hybrid could come back. The second half started with the Trojans taking a bit of control but it was only for about 5 minutes before the Boxers took control. The remaining 40 minutes played out with the Boxers maintaining 90 percent of position off the ball and Hybrid struggling to stand their ground. The ref blew the whistle at 5:55 with the final score 

In the end, it was a thrilling spectacle to behold the big rivalry between two very highly talented soccer teams that are competitive in every aspect and have respect for each other. When you go to a Neuwrith soccer match, you know the competitive level will always be there.