It’s ten o’clock on a Wednesday night, but instead of finding yourself studying for your Anatomy test or getting ready for bed, you are entering the doors of Soccer City. You look to the left to see a strange crowd seated in the bleacher section; a ginger girl shaking a cowbell and holding a sign that reads “Turn Up”, a group of awkward LHS students, and the occasional LHS Portuguese or math teacher.
The reason these people have gathered together is to support and watch a soccer game. Stretching, warming up on the field, pushing eachother around and sometimes tripping over themselves is The Rejects. Clad in purple they are a co ed, misfit group of LHS juniors and seniors coming together to compete on an intramural soccer team. The majority of these kids haven’t stepped a foot on the field since their middle school soccer days which makes them a true sight to behold.
The league is open to anyone so most of the time, The Rejects were facing men and women around the ages of twenty five to thirty. Imagine the gangly senior, Kaitlin Jordan, facing off against a middle aged man. “It was awkward going against older men but it was funny. The older people were fun and the competition was great, but some teams were really intimidating,” says Jordan.
Senior Jordan Martins created the team just for the fun of it, although he is the only one with a real soccer background. An LHS Varsity player and captain, he served as a leader and coach for The Rejects. “The team was made because we’re all just a bunch of friends who wanted to have a good time,” says Martins. “We weren’t planning on playing too competitive, but we do like to win.”
With seven wins, four ties, and three losses they proved to be a pretty decent team. “When we played at first we kind of winged it, but as the session went forward we got better and started to come up with plays and lineups,” says Martins.
Zecarlos Roxo, another LHS senior, shows avid pride in his team and had a blast each game, despite some conflicts with older opponents on the field. “I did it for the swag and to have fun with my boys and girls,” boasts Roxo. “It was a good experience and although there were some altercations, we stayed classy and scored goals.”
When the ref wasn’t breaking up a fight, or goals weren’t being scored there was always a time for minor mistakes. “My favorite memory was when my friend Maddy tripped and fell on the net really hard,” laughs Kaitlin. “I loved scoring goals against boys with my partner.”
“I liked getting into fights, just having the best team chem and the best fan section in all of Soccer City history,” says Roxo.
The cheering section held the same group of dedicated fans each week, the most notorious being LHS senior Olivia Wotojwitz. She is easily recognized by her encouraging, raspy screams and constant shaking of a cowbell.
Not only is she there to support her friends, she is there for a good laugh. “It’s just so much fun watching them because they are there to win, but they are funny about it. There’s actual soccer players on the team and then there are people who don’t play regularly which is a really funny collaboration,” says Wotojwitz. “I laugh almost the whole game because of the things they do, like when Kevin DaSilva gets his glasses knocked off.”
They may not be league champs, but The Rejects are certainly a force to be reckoned with. A new session is coming up and they just may continue their legacy. With a growing fan base, who knows. This underdog team just might make it all the way to the top.
