The Steamboat Springs High School girls soccer team knows how lucky they are to be on the field this spring. They know last year, others weren’t so lucky, and seniors missed out on their final season. So, the 2021 Sailors are playing for those who couldn’t.

“Being a senior, a lot of us are in this mentality of don’t take anything for granted,” senior Sydney O’Hare said. “It can go away so quick, and that’s something we really say almost every day. You got it now, and it could be gone tomorrow, so I think we’re really all putting in 100%.

“There’s a lot we have to play for. There’s a lot of people who missed out or aren’t here.

“For example, our seniors last year, they all missed their whole season. We’re lucky enough to be out here and do this today.”

The team is also playing for Caroline Lupori, a former Sailor who died in November in a backcountry skiing accident. She left a legacy at the Steamboat Soccer Club and the high school, and the Sailors want to play with her in mind this year.

Head coach Rob Bohlman said the theme of gratitude will undoubtedly impact every moment of the season.

“No one has to say the obvious about missing last year,” Bohlman said. “You just got to be grateful to have this opportunity to get back into it. A lot of our talk is just about being in the moment, working hard and enjoying every step of the way.”

The team kicked off a late spring season this Tuesday at Glenwood Springs, a team the girls are particularly excited to face.

“Last time we played them, it wasn’t the result we exactly wanted, which was two years ago,” senior Hailey Moss said. “I’m excited to see how that turns out. We play them twice within a week. I’m really looking forward to playing them.”

In reality, there can be no comparison to the last time the teams saw each other, which was in the spring of 2019. Since then, every team in the league has graduated the 2019 seniors and the 2020 seniors. There will be few or no familiar players on the roster. Everyone was going in clueless.

The season consists of 10 games between May 4 and June 12. Four of those games come after graduation, leaving nothing but soccer on the players plates.

“We’re still getting our flow back together, and our lineup,s kind of changing, but I think everyone’s super excited,” senior Josey Foote said.

Officially, the girls have only had a week of practice, but they were gathering independently before that. It’s early on, but the seniors are confident of what the team is capable of. Bohlman said their off-season work is evident in the early practices, but they’ll be truly tested by playing their first game and going full speed for both halves.

“I think we have a lot of potential, and it’s coming together really quick,” said Moss. “I think it’s going to be a really good season. We’re going to come out strong.”

Opening victory

The Steamboat girls soccer team indeed came out strong with a 3-1 victory over Glenwood Springs on Tuesday.

Gwyn Jamison got the Sailors on the board off an assist from Darby Martinez. The game was tied at one at halftime.

Jamison scored the go-ahead goal in the second half, and Ellery Hodges added the third goal for Steamboat.

Steamboat Springs 3, Glenwood Springs 1

SS 1 2 – 3

GS 1 0 – 1

Shelby Reardon is the assistant editor at the Steamboat Pilot & Today. To reach her, call 970-871-4253, email sreardon@SteamboatPilot.com or follow her on Twitter @ByShelbyReardon.