Carlyn Phillips talks about moving from JV to the top team

Paige Anderson, Staff Reporter
Originally published October 25, 2018

Going into the 2018 soccer season, freshman Carlyn Phillips was placed on the JV team, but later that month she was moved up to play varsity.

“I’ve been doing soccer my whole life,” Phillips said when asked about why she joined the high school team. “I wanted to keep doing it.”

Phillips starting playing soccer when she was four years old and eventually, when she was in second grade, joined Seattle United, a select soccer team. After four years of being dedicated to the intense team, Phillips said she felt burnt out and decided to play for rec soccer instead.

“I wanted to keep playing but I didn’t want to be serious about it,” Phillips said. “I wanted to have fun.”
Although rec soccer was enjoyable for Phillips because she could easily take the ball and score, she wanted to play with teammates who all had to work together.

“I like being on a team and getting to know the girls,” Phillips said. “I’ve met a lot of new people through soccer this year which is fun.”

Phillips explains that when she got the call from Daniel Pulse, the varsity head coach, that she made JV, she was surprised because she believed she was going to make JV C.

“I was pretty excited that I made JV,” Phillips said. “When Daniel asked me to move up, I was even more excited.”

Although Phillips moved up, it’s not very common for players to fully switch teams. Senior Sophia Drezner, captain of the varsity team, believes Phillips was worth being moved up.

“She shows why she made the team in every practice and game,” Drezner said.

Even though Phillips is only a freshman, Drezner said that there’s always at least one underclassmen on the team and it’s great to see the new students and upperclassman connect.

“If they’re good enough to make the team then it shouldn’t matter what grade they’re in,” Drezner said. “Playing for varsity gives really great players, like Carlyn, a better space to develop.”

Both Drezner and assistant coach Meghan Miller admire Phillips’ hard work and aggression.

“Carlyn plays up top for us and puts opposing defenses under pressure,” Miller said. “She isn’t afraid to get stuck in on tackles and looks for her shot on goal.”

According to Miller, Phillips showed a lot of abilities at tryouts and the coaches wanted to find the right placement for her.

“We knew we needed to give Carlyn a shot at varsity,” Miller said. “She earned her place on that team.”

Although Phillips is the only girl on the team her age, she doesn’t let herself forget why she decided to play high school soccer, to be apart of a team.