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HSD Boys Soccer Team Makes History
By; Farah Benamar
The Harmony School of
Discovery Boys Soccer Team has
advanced to Regionals earning
the title as the first team to make it
this far in the history of HSD soccer. They have made everyone at
our school very proud and wear
those navy uniforms with pride.
The boys have worked very hard
this entire season and rightfully
deserve their title as being the
best team in their bracket.
The team had an intense
pre-season. Their team captain,
Rapkat Emin and Coach Tulod
were determined to take their
team to the next level. Practices
were taken very seriously and
rarely missed. Whether it was outside on the field, or inside in the
gym, the team was preparing.
They worked long and hard on
their skills and increasing their stamina. Most importantly, they learned
how to work as a team.
The players have had quite
an interesting season, as they were
forced to forfeit their first game due
to the STEM Festival. They proceeded to win every single game except
for one. There were many close
games, but they managed to pull
through and bring home a win each
time. On the other hand, there were
many games that they simply blew
out of the park. The one loss was
devastating but expected. They
played a full high school team that
was also the best team in their
bracket. Even though the team was
much older and a lot more experienced, they only lost 2-0.
The team will be playing the
other qualifying team at Regionals,
in hope of advancing to the State
competition. It won’t be easy, but
each and every single player is
determined to bring their A game.
Win or lose, they will make HSD
proud.
HSD Soccer Boys Team
Breakthrough in Women’s Soccer in Houston
By: Farah Benamar
Houston has finally given
many of us fellow Houstonians
exactly what we’ve been waiting
for… a women’s soccer team. A
group of talented individuals that
can put on uniforms in our famous
color orange and represent us in
the National Women’s Soccer
League across the United States.
A rumor had been floating around
that there would be an extended
franchise of the Houston Dynamos, our men’s soccer team, for
quite a while towards the end of
2013. However, it wasn’t confirmed until December 11th, 2013
that the team was officially added.
Dynamo President Chris Canetti
announced at a press conference
that the women’s team would be
named Houston Dash. Both teams
will share the BBVA Compass
Stadium, and the Dash will share
the same colors as the Dynamos.
Randy Waldrum was named the
Dash’s first head coach, and former
Dynamo player Brian Ching was
named managing director.
Pre- season began on
March 10th, with all players working
hard with the intention to enter the
league with a surprising impact. The
Houston Dash players don’t want to
remain labeled as the rookies, and
have already proven themselves in
scrimmages against teams, such as
Texas A&M University and others.
Their first game of the Inaugural
Season is April 12th, against the
Portland Thorns. The Thorns are a
very successful National Women’s
Soccer League team with many national heroes such as Alex Morgan,
a player that helped the US Women’s National Team win gold medals
in the 2012 Olympics. Their competition won’t be easy, but Houston has
recruited some very skillful players
who are determined to reach the
same level of success as some of
the Olympic medalists they’ll be
facing this season.
One player in particular
that the Dash drafted should be
given some much deserved spotlight. Her name is Kealia Ohai,
age 22. She is one of the main
forwards, who sports the lucky
number 7 as her jersey number.
She’s mostly famous for being
Brian Cushing’s (Houston Texans’ linebacker) sister-in-law.
However, acknowledging her
simply as a family member of
Cushing would be a great injustice to her. She is a dangerously
fast and agile player that does
great under pressure. She also
used to play for the Under 20 US
Women’s National Team. Ohai
was widely known for helping the
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