Taken after the girls soccer game on Sept 30th against MCSM.

Throughout your high school career at HSMSE (and after it), you will frequently hear the question “where do/did you go to high school?” You’ll encounter this question more times than you can count, and every time you’ll respond with “The High School of Math Science and Engineering.” Some of you might even experience what I like to call “specialized high school syndrome”: the moment where you have to explain you go to a STEM school filled with geniuses who take AP classes by choice andl spend their free time exploring computer coding, a choice of activity that never occurred to you

I don’t share this to criticize the majority of our school’s population, because quite frankly, I wish I had their intelligence. Rather, I write this to recognize the story of students who tend to get overshadowed by our school’s competitive nature — our student athletes. Balancing the commitment to a sport with the rigorous coursework is a challenge, and it can cause top students to crack under the pressure and fall behind. They realize they’ve picked a school that can’t seem to make it past the first round of playoffs, yet also find that unimportant in comparison to the excellent academic options offered. This challenge isn’t just faced by students, but also by teachers, who double as teachers and coaches. For the girls soccer team, this means having a coach who is also an AP environmental science and physics teacher who also spends his lunch running the leadership elective. 

As of right now, the soccer season is ongoing and the girls are showing incredible success. The ‘24 season team is filled up of 19 dedicated athletes and one dedicated coach, Mr. Tirado. For seniors such as captains Rebbeca Rha and Brodie Nadoban, this is the first season they’ve had the opportunity to play under the coach from the previous season. Having this continuity has made a big impact on our team. While Mr. Tirado’s coaching experience is limited, last year’s season allowed him to better understand his players’ positions and skills, setting the stage for future success. 

When I asked Mr. Tirado about his feelings towards this current season along with the last one, he spoke about his love for the sport and his desire to become a better coach: “I’m learning more of the game. I started coaching as a fan. Translating my love to teaching is forcing me to learn technical terms and I’ve had a lot of trial and error.” Despite Mr.Tirado’s full plate, he makes the time to create plans for practices and have captain discussions. While he recognizes that his “inexperience is a challenge,” he also noted that being a coach has become his favorite part of his job.

Mr. Tirado and I further discussed the values behind the team. He expressed the same ones the captains shared with me earlier that week: “The team’s values are hard work and not giving up in the face of adversity.” Their values are not only demonstrated by their impressive record but also by their two comeback wins. In the opening game, The Dragons played against Manhattan Center for Science and Mathematics, who they ended up tying 1–1. When they faced MCSM again on Sept 30th, they walked away with the win, 2–1, after being down 0–1 at halftime. They saw a similar comeback against Louis Brandeis on October 7th, when the team recovered from losing 0–1 at halftime. They, once again, finished the game 2–1. In addition to the players’ talents, one could argue the values of this team are also responsible for their wins. This impressive team’s camaraderie was built up through team bonding activities, early morning practices, and fun TikTok trends. 

Despite these victorious games, their season is far from over. They continue to persist as they face more challenging teams. Compared to last season’s division, the girls’ soccer team has seen more organized and talented opponents, creating more competitive games. As a team, it is difficult to train everyone at the same level. Lots of girls come into the sport having only played recreationally, or in some cases never before. However, soccer is a team sport and often, the only way to improve is by helping each other out. The captains of the team said, “We have changed in skill. We have gotten significantly better, and while it has been sad to see great players graduate, we have been fortunate enough to have more walk through the door!” One of the biggest talents seen this year is Lucy Azaransky (‘28). Not only does she bring skill and experience to the team, but also showcases patience and personality while on the pitch. Her ability to guide other players as a freshman is remarkable and such a pleasure to watch. 

For a school so small, and with such a short history, the girls’ soccer team has managed to secure 2 PSAL championships. The last one was in 2014 when today’s freshmen (Class of ’28) were just 4 years old. Since then, the team has seen many coaches and lots of talented players, but never another trophy. Many of the current players believe this could be that year: “We are successful. All of the athletes are self-driven and can go as far as they set their minds to.” As the season unfolds, it’ll be interesting to see how the team builds on their skills and if they can make it all the way. Whether they win or lose, it’s the growth and experiences that matter the most. Every athlete brings their best to every game and gets to walk away with a smile. Just like Mr. Tirado, some of these athletes never imagined they’d be a part of a soccer team — yet they continue to wake up every day and continue to work hard. Good luck to the Dragons!!