Simmons hoping to lead Reservoir girls soccer in playoff push

After getting all the way to the 3A state semifinal game last year, you guys had huge expectations entering this season. Now that you're almost three quarters of the way through do you feel like your team has risen to the occasion like you thought you would?

Yeah I think so. In the beginning of the season a lot of the team was kind of skeptical that we wouldn't do as well as the entire county thought we would, but as the season progressed we're just getting better from here and I think going into playoffs the expectation is still there, but I think now we're more mentally ready to take on that challenge.

Did your team stress that loss to Bel Air entering the year or did you just forget it and move on?

We don't really like to remember that, but we do remember how we felt when we lost. Sometimes we think about it. Obviously, it was really unexpected. We didn't expect to lose. We wanted to go to the state finals and coming off of that – we think about now and we want to come back stronger. We want to come in playoffs with our heads high.

Your goal was taken away in that game from an obvious hand ball by Bel Air. What do you remember about that play?

I think that if the girl didn't have her hand up the ball would definitely have gone in. I think the entire momentum changed. I just remember Kylie [Toler] going down the line and I was cutting in to the box on an angle. I was screaming for it. I knew that play. We had practiced that play and I knew I just had to slot it, because I knew I had the keeper beat, but I didn't realize the girl would be there sticking her hand out. After he didn't call it everyone went crazy. I remember the crowd went insane. Kylie and I went crazy, we were yelling at the ref and stuff and was like, 'look at your [assistant referee]' because he had his flag up. He called it and the girl should have gotten a red [card], but he didn't know who to call it on apparently. So after that we did get the [penalty kick], but then Kylie missed. But that wasn't even the whole thing it was the whole momentum of it. If we had gotten that goal in the first place I think the momentum would have changed and I think we could have come back from what the score was. But it didn't work out that way.

Do you want to see Bel Air again in the playoffs?

In a way, yes – the revenge would be great. Like coming back harder than we did before. We didn't really know anything about them before, just that they were Bel Air, out of county, but now we know who their good players are. We know how we can beat them. I think this year we're stronger than we were last year, so we'd have a better chance at getting them back. So in a way I think it would be great to play them again.

Why do you think your team is stronger this year?

I think the experience. The amount of seniors that have been playing since sophomore year on varsity, the amount of minutes that all of us have combined on varsity starting and there's not really many injuries right now, putting us in a great position to do well in playoffs. I think we have a really strong midfield and senior class. Our defense is stronger – I think all around we're just a stronger team and we're ready for the challenge.

To win regionals and get to the state semifinal game, was that an accomplishment in its self? Are you really proud about that achievement?

I was. It's definitely something that I will look back on when my high school career is over and say, 'Wow, I'm really proud that we accomplished that.' That's something that not a lot of teams get to do. We haven't done it since what? 2011? And to be the team that does that, to have parents of girls who graduated come to that game and see us accomplish something like that – I think that's something to be proud of.

Since you guys accomplished that feat last season, would it be disappointing to not get back there this year and not get to the state finals?

Yeah for sure, but I think it's a disappointment for any team really when you lose in playoffs. Because you're going in definitely stronger than you were in the beginning of the season, us especially, and we know what it feels like to win and that's a feeling that we would love to get back.

Your team has been one of the strongest in the county this year, but your first two losses this season have come against teams with worse records than you in Mt. Hebron and Hammond. What were the biggest reasons why you think you lost those games?

Those two games we definitely look back on and wish we could play them again right now. We started the game – both of them – really slow. We didn't really establish ourselves as a Howard County powerhouse, as some teams might view us as. We didn't really bring our A-game. I know when we lost to Mt. Hebron our coach [Phil Ranker] went insane. He was like, 'I'm not mad that you lost. I'm mad at the way you lost.' We didn't really show our character. We didn't show our passion and that's something that we really wanted back the next day. We wish we could have left more out on the field than we did – same with Hammond. I think that especially, we found out it was our senior night like two days before and we didn't really have that much time to prepare… our minds weren't really in the game. I definitely think we overlooked Hammond, because they are a good team, but I think we definitely could have beat them on difference circumstances.

Having Centennial and Atholton as two of your last games of the season, do you think it helps you going into the playoffs, playing those caliber of 3A teams so late in the year?

In a way yeah, I think it does. If we end up playing either of those teams, we'll know what they're about. We'll know like fresh off who their good players are. What their strengths are and what their weaknesses are, so we'll be able to exploit them that way.

You've been on varsity for almost four years (Simmons was pulled up from junior varsity at the end of her freshman season). Individually how have you gotten better and how has your role changed?

When I was a freshman I really looked up to the seniors. I thought they were amazing. I feel like our team now, just through the years, we've gotten so much closer off the field and I really think that helps us on the field too. We have such great connections with each other and such great friendships. Me personally, I see myself more as a leader because I have been on varsity for almost four years. I think the younger ones see me as a leader too, which is great. I'm really proud of that. And also just the skill level that we're able to bring, like competition that we bring to each other in practice and I think that's kind of stayed the same throughout the four years, if not gotten better. We've always been known to bring it, try hard, work hard, things like that.

You've talked about your team's strong midfield, which also has fellow senior captains Kylie Toler, Cassidy Pham and Shelly Ignacio. But in particular I know you and Kylie have a really strong relationship and you guys play almost right next to each other on the field. Do you feel like your relationship off the field kind of helps your relationship on the field?

I definitely think it does. We'll talk to each other on the field sometimes, tactics and stuff and we know if we give each other constructive criticism not to take it too harsh, things like that. We are super close off the field, but on the field it's more like, 'Game time, let's bring it,' but we also know that we have each other to lean on and rely on each other.

Have you committed to play anywhere in college?

I was looking at some small DIII schools, but I'm not sure if that's what I want right now. A lot of things that I'm interested in studying – I'm not really sure what I want, so I feel like a bigger school would be better for me, so I can change my major and stuff. I was thinking about it, but as of right now I am not planning on playing.

What are your goals that you want to accomplish individually and as a team before your last days playing soccer at Reservoir are over?

We definitely want to make a playoff run. That is what we want. We want that Bel Air game back. We want to make it to states. Regionals would be great. Hopefully, we can get the win [on Oct. 14 against Atholton] and something will happen where we can get counties. We want to be the best we can be, whatever that means. We'll take it and run with it.

What do you want this senior classes legacy to be?

I think we want to be the one's that have fun, but also push you to work your hardest. We created such a strong bound with each other. There's 11 of us, which is the majority of the team. We're all really close and we're really close with the younger girls too and I want them to carry on what we had. Reservoir girls soccer, we are super competitive, but we also have fun at practice. We goof around… and I think that's what we want to bring, competitive but also light-hearted in a way.

Speaking of light-hearted, if you do go on a playoff run are you going to make Ranker dye his hair again like last year?

Of course – we should make him shave it this time or something that would be funny.