“I am not afraid! I WAS BORN FOR THIS!!”
The Donahue Academy middle school girls soccer team chants this before every game, paraphrasing St. Joan of Arc’s famous response to a woman who asked this teenage girl if she feared being surrounded by soldiers. They know that girls just like them have gone on to be virtuous in life, victors on earth, and great saints for God’s glory!
We also chant this to be courageous on the field. Soccer can be scary; ferociously kicked soccer balls, collisions, manning a wall, and doing headers are normal. But just as St. Joan of Arc gave inspiration to her country, our soccer girls inspire each other to greatness when they do courageous things on the field!
Soccer as preparation for a life of virtue doesn’t stop in eighth grade. I also coach the high school girls soccer team, and at this level we shift our emphasis from overcoming fear to overcoming adversity against great odds. We pray to Our Lady of Victory for her aid and assistance.
This title was bestowed upon the Blessed Virgin Mary following the Battle of Lepanto on October 7, 1571, when a vastly outnumbered Holy League naval fleet achieved a decisive victory against the Ottoman Empire. Pope Pius V asked Christians to pray the Rosary for success, and when the Holy League prevailed despite being significantly outmatched, Mary’s intercession was obvious.
Similarly, Donahue Academy’s high school soccer teams regularly face opponents who field far more year-round club soccer players. Despite this, our Shamrocks have achieved success on the field. The boys (17-4-0) just won their third straight Paradise Coast Athletic Conference championship, and the girls (16-5-1) won their first PCAC title. Both teams made it to their respective district championship games and qualified for regionals.
Dr. Tyler Graham coaches the boys middle and high school teams, and I coach both girls teams. This allows for continuity between levels as the students mature, and since both of us teach, we develop strong relationships of trust with our athletes.
The boys daily entrust their season to the Blessed Virgin Mary and ask the Lord to grant them the grace to grow as good, holy men. On the field, their tough, rugged, and relentless approach to the game is epitomized by how they end practice by doing back-to-front line sprints around the field followed by a precision passing rondo while exhausted.
The middle school girls learn soccer terminology like “square,” “drop,” “turn,” “carry,” and “clear,” and this translates to high school. Both our middle and high school girls teams play a similar, counter-attacking tactical style, so our freshmen know their field responsibilities starting day one of high school practice.
More important than this, though, is the consistent approach both programs take toward developing players of great virtue. Conflicts between teammates can tear teams apart, but if we maintain our true focus on Christian unity, sacrifice, overcoming fear, and dedicating ourselves to the Blessed Virgin Mary, we will achieve true success!
