Lafayette soccer is a prestigious and highly competitive sport that doesn’t stop at the varsity level. The junior varsity girls soccer team finished the season with a 13-1-1 record winning the Suburban West conference with an 8-0 record.

The varsity team lost 10 senior players and one of last year’s junior varsity starters is looking to fill a position.

Sophomore Emily Gaines started playing soccer at a very young age, and is hoping to play for Lafayette this spring as soccer tryouts come to a close this Friday.

“Over the years, soccer has grown more important to me, I play it all throughout the year and it’s a big part of my life,” Gaines said.

Playing varsity as a sophomore would be a big accomplishment and push Gaines to be a better player due to the high level of competition that Lafayette is known for.

“Varsity is a goal for me; I’ll be playing at a higher level than I did last year and the practices would be more intense as would the games,” said Gaines.

What sets Gaines apart from the rest is that she has been playing with the same girls since kindergarten.

“We’ve all been playing together for so long that we know each others skills and weaknesses and we’re easily able to pass the ball around and work together,” Gaines said.