A strong Los Gatos team beat the Falcons 11-7 on May 5, ending their season but not dampening the pride they took in their team and season.

"Toga on three! One, two three, Toga!" they shouted as fans cheered.

The loss was a huge improvement from their 19-5 drubbing at the hands of the Cats earlier in the season. The Falcons finished with an overall record of 6-7 and did not make the league playoffs.

When the season ended, the team experienced a multitude of emotions, especially the underclassmen who had looked up to their senior teammates as leaders during the season.

“I will miss the team bonding sessions and seeing my teammates everyday for hours,” sophomore goalkeeper Jennah El-Ashmawi said. “I’m going to miss the seniors so much as they had helped us grow as players, and most of all, I will miss playing alongside them.”

On May 2 in a key conference game against Mountain View, the girls lost 14-5, with some players having to fill in for positions that they’ve never played before, due to key players, sophomore midfield Ines Picard, senior defense Lily Fontanilla, senior defense Lilah Foster, and junior defense Anya Srivats not being able to play because of injuries.

“Since these players weren't playing some people had to play new positions that they don't usually play,” sophomore attacker Natalia Denenberg said. “For example, I had to step in for the midfield position. For one play I was quite nervous and didn't really know what I was doing so I ended up dropping the ball, causing it to be turned over when it otherwise could have been one of our own goals.”

El-Ashmawi said she was happy about her accomplishments during the season, especially since she was nervous at the start of the season and afraid the upperclassmen would judge her for her mistakes. Instead, those upperclassmen became her friends and supported her development.

Looking back on the season, many players were also grateful for the bonds they forged with teammates.

“The team worked super hard and played much more as one unit on the field as the season went on,” junior defense Anya Srivats said. “It was so fun bonding with a completely different group of people than the people I talk to in class. I’m super pumped for next season.”

As lead scorer and star of the team, senior midfield Julia Vita scored a total of 84 goals and led her team in ground balls.

“I’ve been on varsity all four years so going into this season I knew I had a lot to live up to,” Vita said. “Walking away from this season, I felt really good and proud of what I did and accomplished.”

While the underclassmen can look forward to future seasons, for some seniors it is their last year playing the sport.

“I'm going to miss my lax dragons. I've played with them since the first time I ever picked up a stick my sophomore year,” co-captain and senior Emma Kovac said. “It's been a wonderful three years getting to know all their spunky personalities and I can't wait to come back next year to watch them as seniors.”