A game, a combination, a goal. Claire Anderson (’25) fondly recalls scoring a goal last year in combination with former soccer captain Anya Chauhan (‘24). During their shared time on the team, Claire looked up to Anya: the highly-skilled heart of the team, who tied her players together with a sense of community and respect. As the current co-captain, Claire aims to fill that same space, balancing authority with good cheer and camaraderie. 

Claire started playing soccer when she was four years old. As she gained confidence in her skills through club soccer, she grew well-suited to an offensive style, playing as a center forward. Due to her competitive spirit, Claire meshed well with the sport. 

“I was a competitive person, and soccer just brought it out of me,” Claire said. “When I started scoring goals, I was like, ‘Wow. Me scoring is me winning.’ A toddler can understand that.” 

Through sports, Claire developed lifelong personal connections in both Harker’s soccer team and club soccer. As she plays her last season, she reflects on the joy that her teams have brought her over the years.

“I’ve never found anything like the community that comes from soccer, and I love it,” Claire said. “It’s just not going to fit into my life anymore. But this girl texted me and she goes, ‘You’ll always be a soccer sister.’ That is the sweetest thing ever!”

The camaraderie between team members forms naturally, resulting from hours of practice and play together. During the adrenaline of a game, teammates show the most unfiltered versions of themselves. Claire finds that this emotional candor is essential to the bond between players. 

“You get weirdly vulnerable on the field,” Claire said. “Your whole team sees how you react in situations. If the opposing team gets past a defender and scores, you see that guilt of ‘I let my team down,’ but you also see people coming back from it.”

Year by year, Claire sharpened her skills, scoring goals, earning awards and servings as a vanguard for the team. However, she also expanded her aims from individual achievement to the collective improvement of the Harker varsity team.

“When I was fresh in my frosh year, I wanted to lead the team in goals,” Claire said. “I wanted to leave behind that legacy, but now the goal is to leave behind a well-fit team, my playing strategies and also my leadership strategies.”

Claire embraces that leadership as the co-captain of the varsity girls’ soccer team alongside her cousin, Kylie Anderson (’25). Kylie commends Claire’s honesty and effectiveness as a leader, one that can both constructively criticize and encourage her players. 

“I couldn’t ask for somebody better to be co-captains with,” Kylie said. “She knows when she needs to lock in and focus and get work done, but she also knows how to have fun.”

One of Claire’s most prominent qualities is her optimism. Even when she’s looking for ways to improve the team, she still celebrates silver linings. 

“I try to look on the bright side of things,” Claire said. “We could be losing, but Anya scored this goal and Sarah connected this path. We might not have played amazing in this game, but we’ll get better.”

That joy and wisdom uplifts her friends and classmates. Close friend and teammate Sara Glusman (’25) admires how Claire sets a positive example for people around her and leads through her attitude and mindset.

“Everyone thinks that your failures are like the end of the world, but she really understands the fact that we have so much life left to live,” Sara said. “That’s something I’ve taken from her and tried to implement in my own life too.”

English teacher and family friend Tia Barth appreciates Claire’s infectious positivity. Since Claire’s childhood, Barth noted Claire’s inherent friendliness and care for others.

“She’s always been a bright light – very high energy, bold and transparent about sharing her thoughts and her enthusiasm,” Barth said. “I hope she doesn’t ever lose that spark because she brightens up everybody else’s life around her.”