This year, Tech Girls Varsity Soccer team unsurprisingly finished at the top of the PSAL 3A league after successfully defending their city title against Bronx Science in a tense, hard-fought 1-0 win. This year’s championship adds to the team’s three year streak winning their league, and two-year streak winning the City Championship.
The Girls Varsity soccer team has been setting the standard for athletic excellence, finishing on top of every league for the past 4 years, starting from the 1A division in 2021 all the way to the 3A division now, and winning the past two City Championships. As in years past, they dominated the pitch this year, with a 15-0 win over Fort Hamilton and a 14-0 win over Murrow among other sensational results.
Coach McCullough had clear expectations for this year.
“When you enter into a season, there’s a kind of confidence that [each player is] going to bring to the team,” she said.
There is always a constant rotation of players as freshmen join and seniors leave, and this year was no different. Seniors like beloved goalkeeper Nikki Bidun (‘24) and midfielder Maryn Plache (‘24) were sorely missed, as was their consistent play, skill, and team spirit.
“[Nikki was] the person that leads your whole team from the back forwards,” said Sophie Larson, one of the team captains this year.
“[Bidun and Plache] brought such an energy, and were just really great, funny people that I feel like we’re really easy to connect to,” added fellow captain Annabel Saacks.
Although these seniors made such a meaningful impact, Coach McCullough admitted that it has been an easier transition than she initially thought. For the returning players, most have been on the team since freshman or sophomore year, and immediately bonded and connected on the field.
“[They] have players that have just really stepped up, both in terms of their play on the field, but also [in] their leadership,” she said.
While there are always leaders on the team, this is the first year with appointed captains. Annabel Saacks (‘25); Ingrid Nelson (‘25), and Sophie Larson (‘25) all expressed a beaming sense of self-confidence, and confidence in their team, while being very aware of their responsibilities.
Saacks held herself and her co-captains to being“ more of a role model, and figure on the team, making sure we’re playing a certain way, [or that] everyone’s engaged.”
Many teams have talented players with great chemistry, but what sets this team apart is the seasoned leadership of Coach Robin McCullough who played at the University of Maryland and eventually at the professional level with the Maryland Pride W-League and WUSA, the US’ first women’s professional soccer league. She has been an influential role model, manager, and leader to her players for years. When asked to describe her in three words, Sonia Girshin (‘25) landed on “competitive, committed, and proud.”
McCullough believes that “every single player on the team was the reason why we [won].”
For Saacks, her coach’s passion and drive to win made a difference.
“[We] have a coach that definitely wants to be present, wants to do well, and wants to help people [succeed],”she said.
