CAMARADERIE LIFTS EAGLES : FLEDGLING GIRLS' VARSITY TEAM FINDS SUPPORT ON SOCCER FIELD.

Byline: Lee Barnathan Daily News Staff Writer

A team is a group of people working together in a coordinated effort.

Many teams probably take this for granted because they've been doing it for so long. For them, ``playing together as a team'' is a cliche.

Not so with the Lancaster girls' soccer team. This group of freshmen and sophomores, making up the school's first varsity squad, is discovering the simple pleasures of playing as a unit and playing at a higher level of competition.

``I'm really enjoying myself,'' freshman defender Jeanette Gomez said. ``It's fun and (full of) new things, working with my teammates and having a good coach and having an encouraging team.''

Other teams probably don't see the joy of something as simple as traveling together on a bus. Lancaster players await trips like an outing to Disneyland.

Goalie Elyse Webb has to watch what she says on a bus because midfielder Kristy Hamilton might make a joke of it.

``I was sad, and she was talking, `Don't you just hate it when you're sad and you don't know why?' And she makes a funny face and I felt better,'' Webb said.

How about those bonding events, like going out for pizza after a game? While other teams might consider it common, the Eagles still are discovering how joyous a new experience like that can be.

Few of these players have felt part of something like this before. In their youth soccer days, the players would drive to and from games with their parents and not encourage each other as much. The concept of team wasn't as strong, they said, in part because new teams were formed every year.

``Now, in high school, we all go together, and you get to come together as friends,'' Webb said. ``In (youth soccer), you met at the park and everyone came in separate cars.''

Youth soccer might have taught the players basic skills, but none were prepared for the increased physical contact they've seen (and felt) on the field.

Going against juniors and seniors puts them at a disadvantage, but when those bigger and older opponents start tackling and pushing, the Eagles get timid.

``Our team's too nice,'' coach Rick Acuna said. ``I tell them it's going to be like this all year, so you'd better start pushing.''

So the first thing this new team does is learn to tangle with the big girls. In a recent game, Gomez was knocked to the ground, then kicked in the chest while she lie there.

Her response? ``Don't give up. Fight back,'' she said. ``I started leaning on them more, sticking my feet in to get the ball.''

The team currently is 5-6-2, but the players believe this season will be a success - the product of developing a team concept.

On the field, the teammates encourage each other and give playing tips. Off the field, they appreciate the comments.

``It's been nice to be on a supportive team and to know that they'll be there for you through good times and bad times,'' Gomez said.

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Photo

Photo: Lancaster High School soccer player Kristy Hamilton's sense of humor helps her teammates conquer the blues.

John Lazar/Special to the Daily News