Instead of their customary green and gold jersey’s the Clover Hill girls’ JV and varsity soccer teams will be in pink when they take the field on May 11.

The teams are hosting the third annual Kickin’ for the Cure game. All money raised through merchandise and ticket sales will go to the American Cancer Society to help further research into finding a cure for breast cancer.

“I feel like, as a whole, we’re kind of inspired because we’re not just playing to play on that day. We’re playing for something that’s bigger than us, and we’re playing for the people that are there and the people that have been affected by breast cancer,” Clover Hill co-captain Maliha Ataullah said.

“It’s easy to get caught up in a lot of little things in school or just in life. It’s a humbling game to remember the people that have been affected by breast cancer because we’re all girls who are at risk,” co-captain Kristen Herceg added.

The teams have raised close to $2,000 in each of the last two years, and the celebration starts way before the teams take the field.

The Freshman Class and Freshman Advisory Council – sponsors of the event – kick things off with sales of pink T-shirts. On the day of the games, Clover Hill students are encouraged to wear pink to school.

“We get a picture of the team, and everyone that wore pink that day [in the gym],” Herceg said. “We got a cool picture of the whole team in the shape of a ribbon.”
At the game, a table stands near the front gate holding information about breast cancer, prevention and detection methods, and donations. Fans are invited to create pink links that grace the fence around the field. Even the field is decorated in pink with ribbons at all four corners and in the center.

“Last year all the refs were women and wore dark pink jerseys,” Ataullah added.
At half time a Clover Hill High School community member reads a tribute for those affected by breast cancer, and everyone in the stands, who has been touched by the disease, is invited onto the field to release pink balloons into the night sky.

For the second year in a row, the opponent will be the same as well. The Lee-Davis squads began their involvement in the event last year and are looking to make their part even bigger this year.

The Lady Confederates will sport special navy blue jerseys with pink ribbons on the front and pink numbers on the back. In addition to personal donations, the team will make a group contribution through the purchase of pink shoelaces, which they will wear during the game.

“My mom is a breast cancer survivor and we’ve got some of the players with parents, grandparents that are cancer survivors, so it’s a great way for them to get involved,” Lee-Davis head coach Brad Dalton said. “We look forward to participating in it because, as a high school coach, it’s not just about the game or about winning. We’re hoping they see the bigger picture, and this is a great cause.”

The teams are hoping to find more ways for other teams to become involved with the event, whether it comes through holding events of their own or supporting the cause through attendance at the game, and there has been quite a lot of interest.

“We would love to have other high school teams come to this,” Clover Hill head coach Sean Martin said. “Manchester girls’ team, their coach called me before the season and said they would like to be a part of this … It’s not necessarily Clover Hill or Lee-Davis – it’s for breast cancer, so it would be really nice if [other teams] came – if they didn’t have games that night – to be a part of it.”

The evening officially kicks off at 5:30 with the JV game and is followed at 7 by the varsity game. Entry is $5.

Sara Page is the sports editor for the Midlothian Exchange.