Page 50 March 2 017 By Nick Smith Head coach Andrew Zweiback remembers the exact moment when his players began to truly believe. The Arcadia Titans girls soccer team had finally broken through to the state semi-finals after three straight seasons of going home without getting past the quarterfinals. The team was on the field opposite powerhouse Notre Dame, which was aiming for its third straight title. Arcadia had fallen behind 1-0, and only three incredible saves by first year goalie Sarandon Raboin kept the game from becoming a rout. Then with 15 minutes to go, it happened. The team’s leading scorer, junior Kalena Teufel, flew toward Notre Dame’s goal and fired a shot into the back of the net. The game was tied. Coach Zweiback and his players watched and felt their fans start to believe a victory was there for the taking. “You could just feel a total change in the energy,” Zweiback said. “Our fans were going crazy. I remember looking at our girls and it was like we all suddenly knew we were going to win the game.” “Once that happened, we all just got super confident,” senior Kate Murphy said. Being tied against the reigning state champions in the final minutes of the semi- final playoff game likely doesn’t seem like a sure win to most people. But most people haven’t had the benefit of watching the 2016- 2017 Arcadia girls soccer team, a squad that wasn’t supposed to be anywhere near this playoff game. The team had been successful during Zweiback’s five-year tenure, making the playoffs in each of the past three seasons. But the team was still considered a notch below the top programs in the state, like top-seeded Chaparral and two-time defending champion Notre Dame Prep. The 2016-2017 season got off to a rough start before it even began, when star forward Haley Denning injured herself in a softball game and had to miss the entire season. Losing Denning was a massive blow, as she was one of only two Arcadia players to score more than 20 goals the year before. It also increased offensive pressure on Teufel, the other player in the 20-goal club during last season. “Of course, we missed her, but what are you going to do?” said Teufel, who finished this season with 28 goals. “We had to push past it. My mentality didn’t really change. Just go forward and score.” This approach would come to define this year’s Titans. After each setback along the way, the Arcadia players would rely on determination to try to right the ship. The team was without a goalie going into the season, a fairly big problem. Zweiback, along with his right-hand man Bill Christenson, turned to Raboin, who had been a defender on the junior varsity team last season. Raboin wasn’t shy about wanting to try to change positions, telling Zweiback she wasn’t going to pass up an opportunity for that much playing time. “It was a new position for her and she worked her tail off at it,” Zweiback said. “She became better with each game and it made the difference in that Notre Dame game. That was hands down the best game for any Arcadia goalie we’ve ever had.” In the middle of the season, the team took on Chaparral and received a double body blow, losing both the game and senior Molly Vesling to an injury. She was supposed to miss six to eight weeks, and her absence was clearly felt on the defensive side of the ball. “It was really hard to miss games,” Vesling said. “I’ve never sat on the bench before in high school.” Vesling eventually decided six weeks was just too long to wait, and came back after missing three games. “She said ‘coach, I can’t stand to be on the sideline anymore,’” Zweiback said. “If she doesn’t come back, there’s no way we go as far as we did in the playoffs.” Despite the injuries and position shifts, the Titans banded together and pushed forward. The team relied on sister duo Clare and Kate Murphy, defensive tandem Vesling and Dominique Ballard and the scoring abilities of Teufel. The team surpassed all expectations and now found itself 15 minutes from defeating the state champions and advancing to the finals. “We really weren’t nervous,” Teufel said. “We just thought, what is there to lose? We were already farther than we’d ever been and were playing way better than we had during the regular season.” Regulation time expired in the semi-final game against Notre Dame with the score tied 1-1. This meant penalty kicks, something the Titans had practiced twice a day for the preceding two weeks. Arcadia would kick first, and Kate Murphy strode onto the field to start things off for the Titans. “We knew Kate was going to make her shot,” Zweiback said. “Notre Dame has a tremendous goalie but Kate knocked it in. That was huge for us because now there’s pressure on Notre Dame.” Rookie goalie Raboin stopped Notre Dame’s first shot and the Titans found themselves in control. Senior Titans midfielder Kennedy Williams rushed onto the field, eager to add to the lead. Her kick flew just inside the post, an impossible shot to stop, giving Arcadia a 2-0 lead. Then Raboin sealed the deal, stopping Notre Dame’s second shot. “We collectively lost our minds,” Zweiback said. Arcadia won the shootout and the game, advancing to the state championship game. In the title game, Arcadia faced top-seeded Chaparral in a game that would become an instant classic. The Titans gave Chaparral all it could handle, pushing the game to two overtimes before falling short in a 1-0 defeat. “In those last two games, we went up against two really good teams,” Zweiback said. “Teams that were considered the best, teams that had beaten us during the season. And in the combined 200 minutes we played against them in the playoffs, we gave up two goals total. That’s an unbelievable accomplishment.” The team will lose several of its best players next season and Zweiback is already thinking about navigating the hurdles of rebuilding while staying near the top. But for now, he and the team are happy to reflect on one of the most remarkable seasons in school history. “There’s something special about playing for your high school,” Zweiback said. “A lot of these girls play on club teams but it’s a unique experience to play for your classmates, with people you grew up with. We’re proud of these girls and thankful for the community that got behind us this year.” Arcadia soccer girls overcome injuries, defy expectations in historic season Clare Murphy helped lead the Titans to a 2-1 win over Liberty in the state quarterfinals. PHOTO BY AUDREA WALSHIRE

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