On Thursday, February 3, the Bishop’s Varsity Girls’ Soccer Team (BGVS) celebrated their six seniors, Presley McDonald (‘22), Sophia Bartolo (‘22), Cate Freundt (‘22), Emma Hong (‘22), Maddie Cramer (‘22), and Abby Beamer (‘22). Before their game against Escondido Charter began, the team gathered together for a pre-game ceremony as students, faculty, and parents watched from the sideline. One by one, the seniors were introduced by juniors and other underclassmen on the team.

Nicola Xanthopoulos (‘23) began the ceremony by thanking one of the team’s co-captains, Presley. Holding a poster with Presley’s name on it in big, gold letters, she gave a short, heartfelt speech highlighting some of Presley’s favorite memories on the team which included team breakfasts and carpooling to games. 

Kate Peterson (‘23) then introduced another co-captain, Sophia. As she held up her poster captioned, “Party with Barty,” Kate gave a similar speech about Sophia’s fondest team memories and striking accomplishments, such as maintaining a header goal streak her entire Bishop’s career. “Sophia, you have become not just an older sister to me but to all of us and we will miss you incredibly next year,” she said.

Next, Jessica Luo (‘24) introduced Cate. Embellished on her poster in bright, pink letters was Cate’s nickname, “the horse girl.” Jessica spoke about how much Cate has enjoyed the program. Specifically, Cate thanked the other seniors on the team for making her four years so fun and gave a special shout-out to Assistant Coach David Johnston (DJ) for “being everyone’s biggest fan and supporter.”  

Lexi Black (‘24) then introduced Emma. According to Lexi, her favorite memories are “spying on the La Jolla High soccer team with Maddie during her freshman year, the San Francisco trip, and how cool she looked after getting stitches last year after a game.” Emma thanked the coaches for making her last season with BGVS so memorable and her teammates for inspiring her with their encouragement, persistence, and resilience. 

Next, Erin Ellsworth (‘23) presented her poster and speech for Maddie. Like Emma, one of her favorite memories is the San Francisco trip that the team took her sophomore year. Known for her show-stopping speed, Maddie’s poster was decorated with photos of her in action on the field.

Finally, Catalina McFarland (‘23) thanked Abby, who rounded out her Bishop’s career as one of the captains. Catalina mentioned that Abby has cherished the times when the team gets ready for games together outside of DJ’s classroom. She also thanked her sisters, Lainie Beamer (‘25) and Lyla Beamer (‘25) for making her final year playing with BGVS even more fun. 

After each speech, the girls’ parents joined them on the field for a photo as the crowd applauded in their honor. Defeating Escondido Charter 10-0, the team celebrated their seniors one final time with cake and gifts following their victory. Reflecting on the evening, Erin said, “I think it’s a really special group of seniors this year, and having played with them for three years now has made us all super close.” She continued, “Being able to play for them and get a 10-0 win was a great feeling.” Nicola also expressed her appreciation for the seniors. “It was super bittersweet because I have been playing with these girls for three years and watching them finish out the season made me sad that we won’t have that same on the field bond again,” she said. “It’s nice to see that these girls have grown so much as people and players. It gives me excitement for my own senior year.”