Soccer is the number one most popular sport in the world, and it is number one in sophomore Rylee Rafferty’s heart.

“I really liked the aspect of making bonds with my teammates,” Rafferty said. “Every new team I played for I would make new bonds.”

This isn’t Rafferty’s first season at OHS, as last season she played on the school’s C team.

“It helped me make a lot of new friends at OHS,” Rafferty said. “A lot of the people I am friends with today are because of soccer.”

This year, Rafferty made the OHS JV team, which has played a few games this season so far.

“I think this season will be really fun. I mean, we are all really good friends from last season,” Rafferty said. “We all get along really well.”

Rafferty was a starting center middle last season and scored three goals.

“I think I did pretty well last year,” Rafferty said, “and I feel like I worked pretty well in my position last season.”

With a whole year passed and a summer league and winter league playing with the Steamers, Rafferty felt she was more ready to get back into the Oakville uniform.

“I think I have definitely gotten better because I got on a higher team,” Rafferty said. “I think I’ve learned more skills, and I’ve learned how to put the ball into the right places and how to shoot…”

Rafferty’s team isn’t that different from last year with a few additional juniors and freshmen, and she feels that she has adjusted well to the change in people this year.

“I really like this team. We all get along, and it’s really fun,” Rafferty said. “We all get along and no one is left out. We all just have fun together.”

Since soccer is a team sport, there are many factors that go into putting a ball into a net. There are the teammates and coaches, which no soccer player could be successful without.

“I think that we all help each other and motivate each other to improve,” Rafferty said. “The coaches help us at practice and give us guidance in not only the game but in our lives.”

Even though it is just the beginning of this season, Rafferty believes it’s hard to not think about the future and what will happen next season at OHS. In fact, she has already come up with a few goals for next season.

“I’m hoping to get on varsity. I’m not really sure, but that’s my goal,” Rafferty said.

Although Rafferty has a while before her departure from OHS, she does have some thoughts on her future with soccer and what her plans are for college.

“I’m not sure if I will play soccer in college yet. I might play in some indoor leagues,” Rafferty said. “I’m not sure if I will be able to play for that long, which is sad, but we will see.”