WS Chronicle

Following the last regular season game of the season on Thursday, the Carver High School girls soccer team heard their fate for playoffs in the Northwest Piedmont 1A conference.  They earned a spot in the playoffs, the first time since opening the school in 1936. 

They finished fourth in the conference following an 8-7 overall record. 

“This is a season to remember,” first year head coach Talia Gabriel stated. “From the start of the season, I knew this team was special. I am very proud of these young ladies.”

This was the first winning season in the history of the program. 

“The love, commitment, and dedication from the team and coaches made this year special,” senior captain and midfielder Akasha Blake said. 

The Yellow Jackets are composed of five seniors, one junior, three sophomores, and nine freshmen. 

“The seniors taught us to never give up and things will get better with hard work,” remarked freshman defender Paola Valente. 

Sophomore striker and captain Adilenee Banos-Oliva scored a team-best 26 goals this season, with freshman striker and captain Kelly Hernandez adding eight to the Lady Yellow Jackets’ 41 team total. 

“I am glad that I made All-Conference at Carver,” mentioned Banos-Oliva. “This was one of the best teams I could possibly be on because I learned more about the mental part of the game, how to be a better team player, and how to communicate during the games, which were three things I was struggling with before coming to Carver.” 

In net, Vanessa Rodriguez was a key to Carver’s success this season. She had a huge penalty kick save in a 7-0 win against Walkertown. 

“From the first day until the rest of the season, Coach had us break on playoffs. I didn’t believe it but after we won our first game, I started to believe we could make playoffs,” senior defender Melanye Arellanes-Medina stated.

With every team there were ups and downs, but Carver had some key victories this year, including wins against QEA (9-0), Triad Baptist Christian Academy (3-1), and Bethany (4-3).

“Winning means a lot because we have never been this successful and now it shows with supportive coaches, the school can win and get better,” junior defender Jeidi Diaz shared. 

Coach Gabriel worked with assistant coaches Natalie Freeman, Antonio Noland, and Hector Guzman. The team also wouldn’t have been the same without the four team managers who assisted in practices and were part of the boys soccer team in the fall that made it to the second round of playoffs. 

“The coaches taught us to never give up and they were always there to pick us up and motivate us,” Hernandez said. “Coach Gabriel taught me how to be a better team captain and to have patience and trust the process.” 

 “It feels amazing because we didn’t just make each other proud, we made the whole school proud,” senior goalkeeper Vanessa Rodriguez voiced. “To future Carver soccer players, never give up anything; anything you put your mind to can be accomplished with practice and hard work.” 

Thank you 2021-2022 Lady Yellow Jackets for a historic season well done: seniors (Vanessa Rodriquez, Osmara Mariche-Noyola, Melanye Arellanes-Medina, Jael Cedillos-Guevara, Akasha Blake); junior (Jeidi Diaz-Monterosa); sophomores (Janely Marin-Noyola, Osiris Paz Garcia, Adilenee Banos-Oliva ); and freshmen (Yessenia Santos-Arzeta, Isis Garcia, Paola Valente, Chelsea Chacon, Kelly Hernandez, Giselle Liborio Noyola, Arleth Noyola Salinas, Brithzel Magallom and Belinda Alvarez).