But the first Monday afternoon without practice brought it all to a screeching halt. Not an easy moment.
``When we didn't have to go to practice after school, I was like, `Oh God, soccer's over,' '' said Laura Meikle, a senior who has played soccer nearly year-round since she was 10.
``It finally hit me today,'' said Arrison, who had cried in the last practice, cried after the last game and cried again at the banquet Sunday.
But there is plenty to look forward to. With soccer one of the fastest growing sports in the nation, these athletes will soon parlay their success into college scholarships. And, what this team did is not likely to be forgotten around West Chester soon.
Yesterday morning, in every homeroom, a seven-minute video was shown of the soccer team's ride to Shippensburg University and its 3-0 shutout against Norwin High School, from near Pittsburgh. Banners hung in the hallways, and students they had never met before showered them with congratulations.
Last night, they showed that soccer was not the only thread keeping them together. Surrounding a table stacked with cheese fries and hamburgers at the Stadium Grille in West Chester, they laughed and joked as their coach, Peter Rohall, was interviewed on a local radio station.
``I told them before the game, the celebration will be for a lifetime,'' Rohall said as some of the girls watched quietly, still wearing their team jackets and college sweatshirts.
Of course, sports quickly returns to dominate the conversation. Several girls have started basketball practice. Others plan to play indoor soccer on a club team.
In the spring, many will play lacrosse. And, with seven seniors, speculation abounds as to next year's prospects.
