The game is down to the wire. The cheers grow louder as a player from the opposing team steals the ball and kicks it towards the goal. But senior and varsity goalie Talia Thompson is there, ready for yet another amazing save.

Thompson has been playing soccer since first grade. She committed to Colby College in August, where she will continue to play soccer at the Division III level.

Thompson joined the high school team her freshman year and is now a captain. She said that she enjoys the community that the team offers and the help she gets from her teammates.

“My favorite thing about being on the team is the community, my teammates and friends, being able to go and play with them and have fun while also doing the thing I love,” Thompson said. “My teammates are definitely very supportive and that has helped me build my confidence when playing.”

Girls varsity soccer (GVS) coach Ben Peters has coached the team for eight years. He said that Thompson demonstrates good leadership on the team because she works very hard and pushes herself to get better.

“Talia is a joy to coach. She is very energetic and a great senior captain. She has a great work ethic. She pushes herself and her teammates to be the very best each and every day,” Peters said.

Senior Cece Wager has been on the team for four years and is a captain along with Thompson. She said that Thompson cares about her teammates and does her best for the team.

“Talia is one of those players who is consistently amazing on and off the field. She is incredibly fun to play with and she puts the work in when it’s needed. She is competitive but also conscious of other people, which I think is great,” Wager said.

According to Thompson, the recruitment and commitment process was very difficult as she had to play in front of coaches and make a decision in the summer of her last year of high school.

“It was very stressful and started two years ago. I was talking and reaching out to coaches who were at my games. As I got closer to my senior year, it got more stressful because I had to decide where I wanted to go,” Thompson said.

Peters said that Thompson has evolved as a player and as a person throughout her time on the team. She now is a role model for other players to look up to.

“She just took everything and learned from the older players ahead of her. Now she is the leader on the team and doing a great job teaching the younger players below her how to be good people and how to be a great leader,” Peters said.

Thompson’s family has also been supportive of her athletic pursuits. She said that her parents help her improve as a player and work for her future.

“They always drive me to my practice. They sign me up for things and help me get better and get more opportunities to play in front of coaches. They are always there for me and support me,” Thompson said.

Wager said that Thompson has changed a lot in these four years and has become a more confident player.

“Starting in freshman year, she didn’t get as much playing time as she does as a senior. She was a little bit less vocal. Now that she is a senior, I love watching her scream at players,” Wager said. “I remember her as a little kid, freshman year, that was probably too shy to yell. It’s amazing to see that she is coming out of her shell and that she is a lot more confident.”