Northville Girls Devote Hours to Soccer Perfection

The Northville High School Mustangs varsity girls soccer team finished up a strong season this year and it wasn't without hours of hard work. 

The team's coach, Eric Brucker, spent every day of practice challenging his team.

>>Watch the girls practice and listen to Brucker's take on the season in the video above.

For many girls on the team, soccer is more than just an after school activity.

"I've played soccer my whole life," said Gabby Gifford, who played center mid-field and is now going to Grand Valley State University for soccer. 

She played on the team for three years and said building team chemistry is always an important task throughout a season.

"We all have one goal," she said. "It's an everyday thing."

Some players use soccer as an outlet.

"I was kind of an aggressive kid, and I would take that out on the field," said Cassidy Ebach, who was team captain before she graduated this year.

She agreed with Gifford and said the team had a lot of new players, making it a year for rebuilding skills and communication.

"But we have a lot of young talent," said Alexis Mencotti. 

She said it's a tight-knit group and the girls will get together for team sleepovers. The girls also bond over special rituals. Emily Bush said the team will hold each other's pinky fingers during the national anthem before a game and squeeze when it's over. 

Perhaps it's superstitious, but the Mustangs won enough games to give their ritual credibility. Browse through summaries of the team's games from this season to see for yourself.