By Emma Grace Howlett ‘25
In the southeast corner of Pomona’s campus, the turf soccer field glows an emerald green in the quiet evening light. The San Gabriel Mountains erupt from the skyline to provide a dramatic background, and as the purple curtain of dusk falls, the floodlights charge the field with light and energy. As the coyotes begin to howl, the players of Claremont FC lace up their cleats.
I have been a proud member of the 5C Women’s Soccer Club (CFC) for four years now. We practice twice a week in the evenings and have games on the weekends, in which we play against other Southern California schools such as UC Riverside and Cal Poly Pomona in the West Coast Soccer Association. Being without a coach, our captains step up to the role by planning practices, running drills, and organizing substitutions during games.
As a senior, I feel compelled to look back on some of my favorite moments as part of CFC. Sophomore year was particularly memorable, as we had an undefeated season, made it to the playoffs tournament, and I was nominated captain. Yet I feel I truly hit my stride in the fall of junior year. My friends would come support me at our home games, and my parents even flew down from Seattle to watch me play. I also scored two goals from the defense (I play right outside back). It was thrilling to watch my shot swish into the back of the net and have my teammates run to me to celebrate.
This year, things felt different as I returned from studying abroad in England – new faces had joined, and old ones had left for their own turn overseas. I am still grateful for the chance to forget about my stressors during practice and play the game I love. Playing club soccer has been such a dependable way to stay active, make new friends, and keep alive the spark of friendly competition.
