Newark Middle School’s girls’ soccer team won the Southern Alameda County Middle Athletic League (SACMAL) championships.
The Newark Middle School team, made up of 21 girls from sixth through eighth grades, took home the title on Oct. 16 after facing Canyon Middle School of Castro Valley. Throughout the season, Newark showed they were going to have a spot in the playoffs as they won nine of the eleven games of their regular season schedule. However, their grit was not completely obvious from the beginning.
A challenge that the team faced at the start of the season was scheduling conflicts with a lot of the players juggling club team commitments, making it tough for the team to play a full game together.
“Some girls actually had to leave some of the games at halftime, leaving only our smallest sixth graders to fend for themselves,” said head coach Nicole Champion.
Parents of eighth-grade captain Penelope Culpepper said, “This year’s group was noticeably smaller and more petite. I wasn’t sure how they’d stack up against some of the bigger, more physical teams. But as the season went on, those concerns quickly faded.”
Champion said, “It took a couple of games to get used to playing together, but throughout the season, their bond and their communication and willingness to root each other on and work together, that’s really when I saw a switch.”
Unlike club teams, the middle school team includes girls with ages ranging over three school years, from sixth to eighth grade. And many of the players had never played together before because they belonged to different clubs throughout the city. In spite of this, one of the greatest strengths of the team was their connection to each other.
“The dynamic of our team was very ‘big sister, little sister,’” said Champion. “All of our seventh and eight graders were cheering on our sixth graders. Nobody came down hard on people. They were all very encouraging. And that’s pretty hard to find at that age.”
After only losing two games, Newark Middle School was ranked second for playoffs, just under Canyon Middle School. Canyon had also claimed the 2023 and 2024 title, taking the win from Newark after the school’s last win in 2022.
Because of the petite size of the Newark team, they prepared to face larger Canyon players with one-on-one drills between the sixth and eighth graders during their practices.
The day of the championship game arrived on Oct. 16. Not only was Canyon one of the two games that the team had lost against during their regular season, they were also the team that they faced in the championship game in 2024 and lost against.
“The girls were definitely nervous going into the championship,” said the Culpeppers. “The sting of losing to Canyon last year was still fresh for the seventh and eighth graders.”
But once the whistle blew, the girls focused on the game. The team fought hard in the fast-paced match. “It was a very challenging game,” said Champion. “There were times where I was holding my breath because I thought [Canyon] was going to score.”
The team’s goalie, Karina Tejeda, held her own against the strong Canyon attackers. “Our goalie did an amazing job. She’s only a sixth grader,” said Champion. “She doesn’t play on a field that large yet for her normal club team. And the goal is so much larger than what she’s used to playing in.”
Both goals against Canyon came from eighth grader Lailah Carter. Carter’s first goal, assisted by seventh grader Khianna Champion, was a header, starting the team off with the advantage. The team’s second goal, assisted by seventh grader Brielle Nunez, solidified their championship win with a score of 2-0.
“The whole team held their own,” said Champion. “They didn’t back down from the challenge.”
