CLAREMONT — When the Stevens girls soccer team lost the Division III championship game last fall, 2-1 in overtime to Hopkinton, there was the usual and expected remorse on the part of Claremont girls. However, teen-agers are resilient and can get over the agony of defeat in a short time.
Not so with the senior girls on this year’ s Cardinals’ team as the defeat still lingers.
“I watch the highlight film of that game every day,” said Alexis Aiken.
What about weekends?
“Every day,” Aiken said. “The memories still linger and they still hurt.”
Most of the players returning pretty much feel the same way and are eager to take that championship ride once more. And going into today’s game at Windsor the Cardinals are scorching the opposition at 6-0 with four shutouts and outscoring the opposition 22-2.
Still, getting through the rigors of the regular season, including a Friday game at 5-1 Hopkinton, and then a series of tournament games is a mighty chore.
“You can tell yourself that “we’ll get it the next time,” said Stevens coach Tom Belaire, “but do you really know if there will be a next time. No matter how good your team is there is always that one game where you make a mistake or two and you lose. There are no guarantees.”
Girls soccer at Stevens has been one of the more successful sports at the school; a sport that was started by the late Stevens coach Gene Grumman on his own dime. The team won a championship in 1988 under Grumman and made five other appearances in the championship game. Unfortunately the Cardinals lost in all five of those games, including four times in a seven-year span to Souhegan.
For Belaire, who was an outstanding booter in his soccer days at Stevens, the loss in last year’s final still gnaws away. “I played that game over and over in my mind,” he said. “I think about all the things I did and all the things I should have done. I don’t know if I’ll ever get over it.”
Sydney Miller, a big part of last year’s success story with 18 goals is really optimistic about the present season that has the Cardinals atop of Division III. “You know I think we are on a mission this season. I love this team. We are together and care about each other and we do things as a team — we’re bonding. I like our chances. ” Miller, whose mother is the former Patty Marro, comes from a long line of Marros who have excelled at soccer at many levels. “God, I love this game,” she said.
Miller also knows that getting back to the championship game is a mighty task. “We know that there is a lot of hard work ahead of us, but we have made he commitment to get there,” she said.
“Gosh, I would like one more chance,” added Aiken.
“My heart has been broken since that day last fall,” said senior Tanner Brown.”I try to shake it from my mind, but I can’t. I’m just going to do my part so we can get back there.”
“When we saw how much the community and school supported us through the whole process last year and we didn’t win was devastating,” said Belaire. “Maybe we’ll get another chance.”