Being a ‘Goldfish:’ Triumph for Newberry Girls Soccer

NEWBERRY — After a night full of unknowns, Newberry’s girls soccer team prevailed against Ocala Trinity Catholic,  3-0, on Jan. 24 in the Class 3A-District 4 tournament quarterfinal. 

Shaken Nerves 

Uncertainty loomed over the Panthers, as they were missing six starters due to an academic conference in Orlando.

“I have a really great team of girls this year,” NHS coach Ellie Chenoweth said. “They are definitely special and I’m so proud of what they have accomplished on and off the field. With that being said, I’m really not sure how the game will end tonight.”

Nevertheless, camaraderie and confidence radiated off Meredith Allen, Peyton Cremeans and Kennedy Price as they braided each other’s hair and hyped each other up.

Seconds after the opening whistle for the match, there seemed to be trouble for the Panthers. Cremeans, the team’s leading scorer, was forced off the field by the referee, citing a uniform violation.

“She’s a really good player, with good soccer acumen,” NHS boys soccer coach Jon Doles said. “She’ll bring the energy when she gets back on the field.”

He continued as parents crowded around her, all applying themselves to solve the issue, “I just love the rural feel of the team and how all the parents get truly involved. It’s a family.” 

Newberry Amping It Up

In the meantime, the Panthers were holding the majority of possession, but were struggling to connect passes on offense. Luckily for them, the defense kept recovering the ball quickly.

Goalie Jordyn Witt was instrumental in keeping the Panthers’ hopes alive, stopping a critical corner kick at the 19th-minute mark.

The crowd exclaimed with anticipation after a near miss by Eileen Wickens with 20:30 left in the first half. 

However, it wasn’t until Cremeans came back into play, quickly scoring off a penalty kick to make the score 1-0, that the momentum really started to favor the Panthers.

Before the half was over, junior Torie Griffin scored to give Newberry a 2-0 lead. 

The second half breathed new life into the Celtics, as they held the Panthers scoreless until Griffin scored again off an assist from Cremeans with 11:30 left. Griffin’s two goals were her first of the season.

“I feel so proud, like my season is going to go out with a bang, especially because I usually play defense, so it was fun and unfamiliar to play up top,” Griffin said. 

Keeping the Dream Alive

As the clock began to wind down on the game with the Panthers up 3-0, the girls seemed to play with more joy. When the final whistle blew, cheers of delight and awe from players and parents alike lit up the night. Newberry kept the dream alive and would be playing again two nights later in the district semifinals against P.K. Yonge.

“Before the game, I told the team that everyone needed to step it up today and every single person did, so I’m super super proud of them,” Price said. “This is a super young team and I’m excited to see them ‘be goldfish’ as coach always says in upcoming seasons.”

 To the Newberry girls soccer team, being a goldfish means having grace with yourself and teammates and striving for improvement in the current moment.

Their season ended at 11-9-1 after the 8-0 loss to top-seed P.K. Yonge.