‘Playing for bigger things’

A month ago, the fall season took on a new meaning for the Arlington Catholic varsity girls’ soccer team. In late September, their junior goalie, Elizabeth DeBenedictis, had felt tired at practice the day before a match against St. Mary’s of Lynn.

When the Cougars arrived in Lynn the next day, Dan DeBenedictis was at the field, waiting to pick up his daughter.

The Cougars learned after their next game, a 6-3 win over Matignon, that their teammate had been diagnosed with leukemia. Elizabeth DeBenedictis has been in and out of Children’s Hospital in Boston over the past month, while her team has fought in her honor.

They wear green headbands during each game to show their support. They have made visits, to the hospital and to her home, after practices and games. They’ve taken turns bringing dinners to the DeBenedictis family.

Before games, they write the word “fight’’ on all their wrists.

And through it all, they’re putting together the best season in program history. With a 5-1 win at Archbishop Williams on Wednesday, AC clinched the Catholic Central Large conference title for the first time and improved to 13-0-1 overall.

“We know we’re playing for bigger things now,’’ said senior captain Lindsay Roche of Arlington. Elizabeth is “lying in a hospital bed and there’s nothing we can do for her but play well.’’

DeBenedictis was a rock in goal for the Cougars, allowing just one goal in the team’s first four games. She is, in the words of coach Manny Bermejo, a “very hard worker’’ whose varsity tryout was impressive enough to earn her the starting role.

“It’s amazing, the situation the team is in,’’ he said, “because they’ve gotten together and decided to play every minute of every game for Liz. They see what the reality of life is all about - anything can happen at any moment.’’

In the Cougars’ first game without DeBenedictis, the team’s No. 2 goalie, freshman Danielle White of Cambridge, broke her thumb. AC rallied from a 3-1 deficit for a 6-3 win.

Since then, Roche, normally a forward, has taken over in net, and AC has gone 9-0-1. Roche still leads the team in scoring, with 11 goals and seven assists because she still takes the penalty shots. The other senior captain, Laura Maunsell of Medford, has 13 goals and three assists. Emma Robinson, a sophomore from Arlington, has anchored a defense that Roche said has helped her find success in goal.

“I just felt like I had to do it for the team,’’ said Roche of shifting to a position that she had not played previously. “Luckily, our defense is as good as it is. The whole team has had to kind of shift positions.’’

The Cougars have done whatever is necessary to keep their run going, switching positions, practicing extra hard, to comfort their fallen teammate.

And they’ve been uplifted by her toughness, and resilience.

“Her spirit isn’t broken,’’ said Maunsell. “She’s one of the strongest kids that I know.’’

When DeBenedictis first learned of her illness, she asked if she could donate her hair to Locks of Love, a nonprofit that provides hair pieces to children who lose their hair during medical treatments.

“She’s just an amazing person,’’ said Maunsell.

Other teams, and the Arlington community at large, have shown their support, too. The Cardinal Spellman girls’ soccer team in Brockton presented the Cougars with a prayer chain before they played. The entire Bishop Fenwick squad in Peabody sent DeBenedictis letters.

The Cougars have two regular-season games remaining in pursuit of their unbeaten season: tomorrow against Fenwick and Friday against Medford.

And after being eliminated in the first round of the Division 2 North tournament the last two seasons, Arlington Catholic has the greatest motivation to make this the year to break through.

“I feel like all the girls are playing for Liz, and every single game is to help her get better,’’ said Bermejo.

Maunsell said the situation has “helped us become really dedicated to this season.’’

As they’ve done all season, they’ll continue to fight on. Regardless of where their season ends up, they know that they’re playing for something more. They’re fighting, so DeBenedictus knows she isn’t fighting alone.

“Everything we do is with her in mind,’’ said Roche.

Jonathan Raymond can be reached at jraymond@globe.com.