Ludlow soccer kicked off the season on September 3rd, but something’s different. What happened to the student section? How is this affecting the player’s performance? What can we do to make a change? Some players have a few opinions of their own.

  The Boys’ Team:

To start, Sophomore and striker, Anthony Schuko states, “Our first game, our team energy was down because we didn’t have a student section. Having people in the stands would really boost 

the team morale, especially after a loss.“Our second home game tonight, September 11th, showed the energy changed with the student section coming through.” The boys stress  that thestudent section makes a great impact on our boys’ soccer team as they cheer them on through a win.

Along with Anthony, LJ Cruz has some opinions of his own. He expresses that when there is a student section, they are more motivated, putting in more effort on the field, and using the student section as support. The team as a whole would like the students to be louder and more upbeat. A cheer throughout the game gets them much farther than people would expect. 

The student section needs to change; it went from having a large capacity of students in the last few years to not many students coming at all. They are also looking to play in the Western Mass championship. Will that happen without a student section, or will the students come through? 

  The Girls’ Team:

The girls’ games have been particularly different. With the cheer team cheering them on, they have achieved multiple wins. But is it only the cheer team that they want cheering them on? What upbringing are they looking to put on the team? What keeps them motivated? And are they really only looking for a win, or do they want more? 

Morgan Vala, Sophomore, says, “The students need to come support the girls’ varsity team like they support the boys’ team in previous games. “Also, their motivation comes from the excitement of winning each game and winning the Western Mass championships as well, but they need support from the students in the school to help them achieve the goals they want. 

Geia Guzman, Sophomore, states, “Student sections at the girls’ games are usually pretty empty besides parents or family. I think it would be more fun and exciting if more people from school came to our games and filled the student section.” Geia and her team get motivation from one another, but if they were to have others like the students there, it would make them much more energetic and motivated. 

The student section needs to make an effort to not only support the boys’ games, but the girls’ games as well. It helps both the girls and boys succeed in the game and play as well as they can. 

  The Student Section:

The student section has some views to back themselves up. Are they busy, or do they just not want to come? What is the true reason the student section isn’t as full as before? 

The student section is not only affecting the teams, but the students as well. Makenzie Caron shares that when she is not at the games, she is at dance, but she tries to show up as much as she can. She enlightens us with more information about the students and what is really happening. Apparently, the kids are actually making an effort to show up for their school’s soccer team, but only the boys’ and not the girls’ games. Why is that? Marcelo Silva, Sophomore, says that he doesn’t go to the girls’ games because his friends are on the boys’ teams and not the girls. The games have seemed to get more boring, even if the students are winning, because there is no support from the kids. It has been shown that the students really do make an impact, not only for the players on the field, but the students watching the game as well. 

A student, Jack Benda, Sophomore, has been trying to organize kids to show up and fill up the student section at games, having some success with this. Benda tells us why he is doing it and what his goals for the school year are. He tells us they are planning to get bigger and better with themes, attempting to garner more people, and make games more eventful and exciting. Soon, there will be a bigger student section and a better outcome of the games.