Our tigers take the field to claim the title of the first girls soccer team at Bay Ridge Prep
Bay Ridge Prep Athletics has recently started its first-ever girl's varsity soccer team! During the 2022-23 school year, a group of BRP students showed interest in starting a girl's soccer team and took it upon themselves to plan a proposal and bring it to the administration. Mr. Petri loved the idea, and after some hard work and planning, the school had its first girls' soccer team! The team, consisting of 11 students who practice every Monday and Wednesday at Mckinley Park and have played multiple games against Staten Island Academy, Fort Hamilton High School, and (their best game yet) against Fontbonne. The first game was somewhat challenging but a great learning experience for the players. Though most of the team is new to soccer, with every game, they get better and better.
The team's head coach, Danielle Cowan, is a former BRP Tiger who plans to lead our girls to victory. After her time at BRP, she went on to play D3 soccer at Drew University. She is a passionate coach who gives the girls confidence and hope for their games. We interviewed Coach Cowan about her decision to accept the offer to coach BRP: “When I went to Bay Ridge Prep, we started the first coed soccer team. So when I was approached by Mr. P to join the BRP community, I was ecstatic because this place means a lot to me!” Coach Cowan has made history in the past by being a part of the first coed soccer team, and now she is making history once again by coaching the very first all-girls soccer team! In addition to her love for the school, we asked her why she loves soccer. “Why not love soccer! In my opinion this is the sport that's seen all around the world…it's universal! It brings people together!” It's amazing to see how much love she has for this sport. Clearly, our girls team is in very good hands.
We also got the opinions of some students, so we asked some of the team’s players a few questions. Gemma Essex, a Junior on the Bay Ridge Prep soccer team, and was one of the team’s founders; says, “I thought it would be a nice idea because we only had a boys soccer team.” We also spoke to Alena Bermudez, a freshman here at BRP, and asked her why she joined the team. “I not only really wanted to be involved in Bay Ridge Prep sports, but also saw it as an opportunity to make friends.” She said this pursuit has been great so far, claiming, “It definitely has, it's also been fun meeting people from different grades because of time together at practice and games.” Finally, we had a conversation with junior Havi Nor, who participates in a number of other activities. We asked her why she took a chance on this new team despite her busy schedule. She says “Even though we just started and we are still building our skills, I love playing soccer with friends for fun.” All these people joined the team for different reasons, but they are all benefiting from Coach Cowan’s leadership and the strong sense of community.
This team is one of the many sports offered at Bay Ridge Prep, and as always we are rooting for them. In order for the girls to succeed, just as any other sports team would, it's up to all of us to welcome them and support them. We are so excited about our new soccer team, and we can't wait to see how the season plays out. Good luck, Tigers!!!!
Photos By: Nina Hewryk
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