West Bloomfield soccer’s ‘day one’ core secures league title

WEST BLOOMFIELD — It’s been a long road for the 2023 senior class of West Bloomfield girls soccer, but there was nothing stopping them from ending their journey earning something they’ve always dreamed of.

The senior class of Sydney Vagg (goalkeeper), Katherine Elliott (goalkeeper), Chloe Bogosian (midfielder), Kennedy Farr (midfielder), Anna McIsaac (forward), Kennedi Aulgur (midfielder) and Reagan Cherfoli (defender) will be remembered in West Bloomfield history, and their journey overcame multiple obstacles in efforts to set the new standard for the program.

“They’d been there since day one,” West Bloomfield coach Jason Clark said. “They’ve had a tough go, and when they first came into the program, it was during the COVID season. By winning the league in 2019, we got put in the OAA-Red, so for the past two seasons, we’ve kind of had a tough go, going from the Red all the way down to the Blue.”

On April 20, in a 14-0 win over Oakland Activities Association-White rival Southfield A&T, West Bloomfield clinched their first league title since 2019 when they were a part of the OAA-Red.

It’s a far cry from the 2-15-1 record West Bloomfield held in the 2022 season competing in the OAA-White, but a drop to the OAA-Blue left the ladies hungry to prove that this was a different squad. Tallying a 12-5-1 record, it’s safe to say West Bloomfield girls soccer is back on the map in the OAA.

“I shed a few tears when it happened,”  Elliott said. “It was like something we’ve never felt before, and also having that many wins in a season was just amazing. We’ve seen how it’s been the past couple years. Girls soccer has never really been paid attention to at our school. Now we’re being looked at, and teachers know how we’re doing, know our record, and we’re always asked how we’re doing. Just us being able to do that is just amazing, and it makes us feel like there may be a future for girls soccer at WB, because we thought it would maybe die with us, pretty much.”

Elliott was stellar in net this season with seven shutouts and has been a staple at the goalkeeper position for the past three seasons. Junior center back Sydney Lalone forefronted a West Bloomfield defense that allowed just over a goal per game.

Although the defense took a significant step forward this season, it was West Bloomfield’s offense that took a massive leap.

After going scoreless in 13 games in 2022, Farr, a Grambling State commit, and sophomore forward Carly Lyons headline one of the best scoring duos in the OAA.

Farr said the team’s past experiences were a motivating factor for the squad.

“We definitely wanted to show up and be as competitive as possible because we struggled the past two years,” Farr said. “We just wanted to put our best foot forward and try our best.”

Freshman midfielder Sarina Khatchadourian, junior midfielder Parker Aulgur and junior midfielder Alesha Tariq were consistent offensive contributors as well this season.

While the journey ended with a district semifinals loss to Walled Lake Northern May 30, West Bloomfield should hold their head high on an impressive season that future teams will look to as an expectation.

“It’ll be nice to see our year up on the banner and all that we accomplished being recognized,” Cherfoli said.