In the video game that goes by the same name, soldiers must go above and beyond the call of duty to save their brethren and complete their missions. To that end, there is no question that this Cottonwood Colts girls soccer team has dealt with adversity. 

“The season has had loads of ups and downs, but no girl has quit yet. Especially in this tough region,” said Cottonwood head coach Bryce Harvest. 

Cottonwood (1-16, 0-10 Region 10) has had moments where Harvest has found himself amazed by his team’s selflessness. 

“I've seen our CBs put their bodies on the line for the team to protect the goal and just the amount they’re willing to sacrifice is like nothing I’ve ever seen before,” Harvest said.

Anyone in the Colts’ shoes would feel a sense of pride when this kind of integrity and character was on display after more than 90% of their team transferred or quit during the summer. 

This left the cupboard for the season extremely bare, so bare that most of Cottonwood’s midfielders and strikers were no longer on the team. 

For that reason, the Colts had their share of struggles early in the season. They suffered consecutive shutout losses and yet nearly had their breakthrough at Hunter in early August, losing 1-0. On Aug. 28, Cottonwood got its first goal of the season but dropped a tough one at home 3-1 against Juan Diego. 

Those woes continued through September — until it felt like the Colts had another breakthrough against mighty Judge Memorial at home Sept. 18, losing 6-1 to a team that reached the state semifinals one year ago in Class 3A. 

Cottonwood lost 8-0 to the Bulldogs a month earlier, but had been playing better soccer and battled all the way to the final whistle according to Harvest. Late in the game, that hard work was rewarded with Cottonwood’s second goal of the year, a strike from Ximena Garcia Cardenas. 

In the next game, Cottonwood suffered a 4-0 loss to Juan Diego, one that showed even more promise than the previous game, insofar as the scoreline. That effort carried over to the next game against Summit Academy, where the Colts won to conclude the season. 

The score of the game was and is not important; in this trying season, it never was. 

For Cottonwood, it was the perfect way to close out a difficult year and it summed up the maximum effort that the Colts gave, game in and game out. For goalkeeper Elli Galkin who kept Cottonwood in so many games this season, and for the back line that often found itself outmanned, as well as a midfield and front line that gelled as the season went on, it was a heroic way to say hello and goodbye in more ways than one. 

“They are showing up and fighting, and for me that’s more than I could ever ask for as a coach,” said Harvest, who had no choice but to close his team’s fun Instagram account due to someone tampering with it. “They know what the challenge is and know what they're up against but still give this school and team their heart and soul. I am so proud of what they're doing, and it brings a tear to me and my brother’s eyes (who still maintains contact with the team) to know that the main philosophies we brought to this team three years ago like courage, loyalty and pride finally is becoming the new norm.”