Girls soccer expands to biggest ever

After the girls’ soccer team’s deep playoff run last year, the program returns this season with four teams for the first time in Lincoln history.

The increased size of the program opens up the opportunity for more girls to play.

“It’s really exciting to have so many athletes get to play for their school,” said Lincoln’s athletic director Jessica Russell.

According to varsity player Gwynn Llewelyn, having four teams “gives [opportunities] to girls who would otherwise have been cut.”

However, having four teams affects the workload of the athletic department. Russell said that it definitely makes her job more difficult. The Lincoln community is “so short on fields, especially turf fields,” and good referees are also difficult to find.

Even with the added stress, Russell wants the program to continue to have four teams. As long as there are “four teams worth of girls who want to play and we have enough fields… there is really no reason we shouldn’t.”

In general, according to Russell, it is the athletic department’s role to “create opportunities for as many students as we have” that are interested in playing soccer or any other sports.