The girls playing under the lights on Whitman-Hanson’s turf are focused, wrapped up in the immediacy of a tournament soccer game, where a loss translates to an ended season and a win brings another chance to take it all. For a senior, even the best outcome means this chapter has come to a close, making the dynamic between living for the moment and the hope for the future much more tangible.

This is Emily Ballard’s Sunday night.

Ballard is part of the girls soccer team’s title run.

 Her team is certainly remarkable, enjoying unprecedented success.  When speaking with Emily, her humility and team-oriented outlook in the wake of all the accomplishments make her seem all the more down to earth. As her hours on Whitman-Hanson’s turf become fewer and fewer, Emily summed up the feelings that tear at many high school seniors.

“Part of me wants to move on and needs a change,” she said, “but part of me knows I’ll miss it so much.”

The Whitman-Hanson girls’ varsity soccer team has certainly proved its dominance this year.  The accolades are impressive. Three Atlantic Coast League titles in as many years.  A remarkable 18-0-0 record.  An MIAA Sportsman-ship Award.  Impressive rankings on both the state and national levels.  Individual records matched and broken.  Eight girls, including Emily, were invited to the All-Star game on October 28.  As the regular season winds down and the tournament play draws near, it seems difficult to imagine a better scenario.

“Part of me wants to move on and needs a change ... but part of me knows I’ll miss it so much.”

“We’ve been waiting for this opportunity all season because the atmosphere of a tournament game is incomparable to any other games,” Emily said.  “These are the games we work hard all season for and we’re all just excited to participate in the tournament again.”

The girls fought hard for their first-round tournament win, a 3-2 victory over Needham on Sunday.  It left Emily visibly exhausted.

“It was tense,” she said.  “It felt like the longest second half ever.”

“Luckily, we took advantage of every chance we got.  We took care of our shots when we got them, but they played us really well.” 

The girls face Newton South in the second tournament game.

Predictably, this success does not come without dedication.  For about three hours a day five to six days a week, Emily Ballard plays soccer.  Add to that the time spent driving to places like Sandwich and Dennis-Yarmouth for games, and the team dinners that occupy the night before each game, and it seems like this team never leaves each other’s collective side.

“It’s like we spend every waking moment together,” Emily laughed.  “It’s definitely one of the closest teams I’ve ever played on.  We get along really well.”

Though the time commitment is considerable, Emily said she couldn’t imagine high school without soccer.  The girls have team bonding sessions, making signs for each other, decorating their cars, and even attending September 29th’s New England Revolution game at Gillette Stadium together.  As a co-captain of this year’s team, she finds new responsibility and purpose.

“If girls are frustrated with playing time, or think they’re not improving enough, I try to talk to them about it.  I love having an input,” she said.  “It’s a responsibility, but a good one to have.  I love it.”

Emily has played at the varsity level since her freshman year, switching from forward to defender after a sophomore-year ankle injury momentarily slowed her progress.  Though she hopes there’s a lot more soccer to be played in the state tournament, the end cannot help but seem near. 

“It is really sad,” she said.  “Usually soccer ends and we start training for next year, but this year it’s just over.  It’s weird to think about.”

She added, “It’s hard to think that I’ll never play with these girls again.”

Her coaches, meanwhile, have nothing but glowing reviews for Emily.

“Emily is a fierce little competitor,” said assistant coach Tom Zamagni.  “Her role on our defense is to mark the other team’s lead forward, and to take her out of play for us for 90 minutes.” 

“She’s a great kid,” he added.

Coach David Floeck said that while it’s difficult to watch players like Emily leave, knowing that they’re moving on to new things is rewarding.

“It’s nice to help them take that next step,” he said.

With a few years of perspective in this regard, Whitman-Hanson Athletic Director Jim Daley shared his own thoughts.

“Senior year is the time to step up and be a leader,” he said.  “It’s where your memories are going to be when you think back on high school.  There’s no other time like it."