A group of freshmen has needed to adapt quickly in order to succeed on the varsity girls’ soccer team.

Out of 20 players, the team currently contains six freshmen: Ashley Pernin, Reese Wallace, Abby Dermott, Malia Cohen, Lauren Battin, Sophia Druian and Julianne Dunn. These younger athletes play alongside girls up to three years older than they, who are more experienced and typically bigger.

Pernin, a defender, said that she enjoys playing at the varsity level with mostly older girls because she has learned so much from these older and wiser players.

“Playing with girls [that are] older than me is hard because they are bigger, but it has taught me a lot and pushed me to play better. They play a lot faster, which has helped my speed of play increase,” Pernin said.

Varsity athletics involve a different type of attitude and commitment than frosh-soph or middle school sports.

Drujan plays in the Elite Clubs National League, the highest level of women’s soccer in the country. She is currently the top scorer on Oak Park’s team, with 10 goals and two assists out of her 11 games thus far.

“It’s not scary at all! [The team] has your back and gives you all the things they remember from the last time they played that [other school],” Druian said. “Personally, it is more fun when you go up against someone bigger, because once you get the ball from them, everyone will go crazy!”

Varsity captain Ally Spooner, who is committed to California State University, San Marcos, is among the few seniors on the team playing their final season of high school soccer.

Spooner, like Druian, plays in the ECNL among the top girls’ soccer players in the United States. She is also a four-year player on the varsity team. In her final season, Spooner said she wanted to help every member of her team succeed.

“I learn from [the freshman] because they bring a younger level of energy to the game,” Spooner said.

Particularly, Spooner said she wants to bring the team closer together.

“I’m trying to bond with all of my teammates and work on our camaraderie, and it would be awesome if we could get to CIF and do well,” Spooner said.

Few high school athletes have the opportunity to play a collegiate sport, let alone Division I. Spooner advises her team’s younger players to stay passionate about soccer if they want to play at a more advanced level.

“The most important thing is that you have to really love [your sport], because it takes a lot of dedication and commitment,” Spooner said. “But at the end of the day it’s worth it.”