The team behind the dream

A goodbye to the seniors who helped shape varsity girls’ soccer

Alyssa Ayersman, Design Editor

When high school girls’ soccer is talked about, the first schools that come to mind may be Iowa City High, Ames High, or Valley simply because they are the more talented teams in the state each year. Metro schools such as East, Lincoln or Roosevelt do not come to mind due to the fact that inner city athletes are viewed to be nothing more than amateurs. For the last four years, this is the stereotype that the five varsity seniors have played through.
Kylie Hanna:
When watching a girls’ varsity soccer game at East, it is easy to get Kylie mixed up with junior, Kimberly DeAvila, since they both have long dark braids down their back. Kylie has been a role player on varsity since her freshman year as a mid-fielder not only setting others up for goals but scoring goals herself. The best part about being on varsity to Kylie is “just being on the team since they’re like a second family so you continuously make new memories and always have fun together”. Kylie will be continuing her education at the University of Iowa as a Nursing Major in the fall!
Taylor Baker:
“#TaylorSoWhite”. This joke between the soccer girls started their freshman year, but it was for another player named Bailey. Both girls have very fair skin, so when Bailey graduated, the tradition got passed down to Taylor. Taylor has been playing outside mid-fielder on varsity since her freshman year as well. Taylor is one of the very few left-footed players on the team, which makes her presence on the team so much more special, but also a threat to other teams as well. “I’m very proud to be a Scarlet! I will always be proud of where I came from!” Taylor will be continuing her education in the fall, studying Pharmacy at Drake University!
Naomi Kham:
Most people do not know Naomi by her real name, but as her nick-name “Mimi”. Mimi was on varsity her freshman year, but then moved to Ankeny for her sophomore year. Coming back to East, Mimi was back on varsity again for her junior and senior year. As a forward, Mimi has been a threat for the three years she has been playing for East. “[The best thing about being on varsity] is my teammates and the girls I get to play with! The coach is a little cool too!” In the fall, Mimi will be going to the University of Iowa to majoring in accounting in hopes to get her Certified Public Accountant degree, (CPA).
Denisse San Elias:
“D-D-D-Defence”. Denisse has been a key defender for the Scarlets for the last two years. Denisse holds it down when everything else is not going right in the front field. “My favorite thing about being on varsity is we are not getting better individually but as a team” Denisse will be attending Iowa State University in the fall with an undeclared major, hoping to find out what she wants to major in soon.
Alyssa Ayersman:
When you see Alyssa anywhere around Des Moines, you will always see her “bff” Patricia. Patricia is not a real person, but the bun hairstyle that she wears daily. Kylie Hanna came up with the name freshman year at the end of the season. Alyssa has jumped around between mid-fielder and forward during her four years playing varsity, but she is currently back to the mid-fielder position. Her favorite memory is when the team would play away at a suburban school, and the team would blast “hood rat” music to try and intimidate the other team when they would pull up. Alyssa will be studying Journalism at Drake University in the fall.
Although the team may not have had the ideal records for the last couple of seasons, the friendships and bonds that have been made during that time will last forever.