Team-building fueled Medford girls’ soccer turnaround

“I actually could tell you the date . . . Sept. 15, and we had the day off from school,’’ recalled senior captain Jill DeRosas.

“Coach brought us into the locker room and she said, ‘Look, you guys have lost your first two games, and you’re not playing as a team. You’re not practicing as a team. Practice is not intense, and I don’t feel like you guys are getting along as well as you should.’ ’’

From that talk, the Mustangs focused on a series of team-building activities - some fun, some serious. One in particular made the biggest impact: The girls shared a piece of information about themselves, something personal and perhaps previously unknown, with their teammates.

“That was definitely the turning point on the team,’’ DeRosas said, “because the next day at practice we were just playing completely together and we started winning all of our games. We went on like a three-week winning streak, and it was the most amazing feeling just to completely turn things around. It was just such a difference. I forgot what winning felt like. It was awesome.’’

In an 8-0-1 run, Medford outscored its opponents, 24-4. The trust and respect that emerged from those activities were manifested in much-improved team chemistry, both on and off the field.

The credit goes to Perry, a 1989 Medford graduate who is the program’s fourth coach in as many seasons. A four-year starter on the Mustang varsity soccer team and a captain for three years, she guided the junior varsity squad a year ago.

“There’s really a family atmosphere on the team, and you can tell by the way the girls play, and how close they are off the field as well,’’ said Bobby Maloney, Medford High athletic director. “And that’s all a tribute to Rachel and what she’s done.’’

After taking over as varsity coach last spring, Perry worked to gain the team’s trust, showed her dedication, and let the players know that she intended to make a commitment.

She started early, bringing in both a nutritionist and a sports psychologist to set the foundation. The players believed in the system.

“They’ve really pulled it together as a team,’’ she said. In last year’s 5-10-1 campaign, “I think, they were playing more as individuals. And we really pulled it together as a team, doing a lot of team building. They still had to learn a different system but they worked together at it and I think that really made a big difference.’’

The Mustangs (10-5-2 overall) earned their first Greater Boston League title since 1991 - before any player on the team was even born. The title is special for Perry because her father, James Rainho, was an assistant coach on that ’91 team. The state tournament pairings will be released today.

“I actually didn’t know, but really when you look at the history of it, it feels really good to finally represent a sport that hasn’t been recognized in a long time,’’ said Lauren Bandoian, a junior captain who is the team’s leading scorer. “It feels really good to just finally have something paying off.’’

The players can sense the difference, both on and off the field. Pasta parties before each game, hanging out on weekends, even a choreographed dance at homecoming - in response to a challenge from the boys’ team - would have been impossible in past years.

“I really feel like these girls are as close to me as my sisters,’’ DeRosas said.

With nine siblings - including a set of triplets, a pair of twins, and two additional sets of sisters - on the 24-player roster, DeRosas - whose own sister Jamie, a sophomore, is also on the team - is pretty close to accurate.

Lauren Bandoian is one of the triplets on the team, joining sisters Lindsey (forward) and Lisa (midfielder).

“There’s really not a lot of sibling rivalry,’’ Lisa said. “We usually cheer each other on and stuff.’’

“Lauren’s a forward and the number-one goal scorer, and I definitely support her,’’ Lindsey said. “She’s a really good teammate, and she always helps us to work our hardest.’’

Fortunately for Perry, neither the triplets nor the twins - senior midfielders Kaitlyn and Mackenzie Flynn - are identical.

With 10 juniors, and a coach who is committed to the squad, the program appears well positioned for the future.

“They’ve bought into her system,’’ said Maloney. “They were down; she pulled them back up. And she’s there for the long haul. It wasn’t a coach who came in and figured she’ll be there for a year. She’s building a program, not just a one-year championship team. She’s there for the long haul, and I think our program will be very successful.’’

But for the seven seniors, this season has been bittersweet.

“I don’t want it to end,’’ said senior captain Francesca Alfonso. “A couple of weeks ago we had senior day, where the underclassmen gave us all gifts, and it was just really sad. We got these scrapbooks from them and they had all these pictures from the past years and this year. It’s awesome, the fact that we worked four years to get to this point and we finally got it. We finally get the recognition that we’ve been working so hard for. It just stinks that it’s going to be over for us.’’

But not before that trip to the state tournament.