Xavier seniors eye special soccer season

CEDAR RAPIDS - 'Senior year is special because it's the first of many lasts,” said Elizabeth Bailey, senior soccer player from Xavier said.

For many high school athletes, senior year is the last chance to play the sport they love. According to the Scholarship Stats website, only seven to nine percent of high school athletes will go on and play a sport at a collegiate level, and only nine percent of girls' soccer players will play in college.

This spring, the Xavier girls' soccer team will have three returning seniors from the varsity team - Katie Ives and Bailey and Sydney Wright. Last year, the Saints lost in the state semifinals to North Scott.

Ives, Wright and Bailey have been playing soccer for around 14 years. This could be their last season of soccer because none of them have committed to play in college.

'You realize this is the last chance you have to leave everything you have got on the field, not just for you, but also for your teammates and your school,” Wright said.

Many high school athletes' senior year entails many emotions, but it also brings upon them a role of leadership. One responsibility for seniors is to guide the underclassmen.

'As a senior, you want to be a good leader, especially for the underclassmen because they are young and new to the team,” Wright said.

Ives said it is important for her and the other seniors to take on that role.

'You want to make it a year that you won't forget,” she said.

The Saints will kick off their season Monday at the jamboree inside Kingston Stadium, playing Iowa City Regin at 3:30 p.m.