Head Coach: Rajneesh Saini
Assistant Coach: Class of ‘24 alumnus Zineerah Ahmed
Last year’s record: 10-4
Recap: After finishing third place in the Santa Clara Valley league and narrowly missing CCS, the Falcons remain in the Santa Clara Valley league in the coming season.
Key Matchups: Cupertino, Fremont, Santa Clara
Star Players: Seniors Maggie Huesby and Sydney Riera
Key losses to graduation: Zineerah Ahmed, Emma Green, Lexi Cleland, Dhrithi Rachepalli, Emily Ta, Emily Hung
League: Santa Clara Valley
Prognosis:
After last season’s successful 10-4 record, the team hopes to come back even stronger this year. Equipped with a new coaching staff that includes alumna and previous team captain Zineerah Ahmed and new head coach Rajneesh Saini, they are aspiring to utilize both newcomers and old faces to make a strong roster after losing many seniors to graduation.
Sophomore Giselle Adams, a midfielder who was on the team as a freshman, said they are trying to strengthen their midfield and do a lot of sprints for conditioning as part of improving their overall athleticism. “We’re working on the physical fitness part over everything this year and we’re doing everything we can to beat other teams in that aspect,” senior captain Maggie Huesby said.
Additionally, Ahmed’s return brings a much-needed boost to the team, helping to fill the gap left by the departing seniors like herself. Since she already has strong relationships with upperclassmen on the team, she understands what works well for players.
Sophomore Emma Williams said, “[Ahmed] knows what it’s like to be on a team, and she’s been a captain in both field hockey and basketball. That makes her know how far to push us, and she also knows what it’s like to be a student at Saratoga and how to balance that with being an athlete. Coach Rajneesh also brings a new perspective as he pushes us to work even harder and be our best.”
On the SHSTV broadcast, Saini said that he hopes to guide the team in a positive direction. Playing since he was 5 years old at many different levels, Saini has valuable experience to bring to the team. He hopes that his experience will give the players an advantage over other opponents.
With her position as team captain this year, Huesby said that her rise to a leadership position has forced her to step out of her comfort zone, taking on a bigger responsibility and a larger sense of leadership compared to last year.
“Being a captain is good because I’m forced to put myself out there. Especially when I’m meeting the underclassmen it is good because I think they’re really fundamental for the team,” Huesby said.
Ahmed’s attitude as captain in previous years has also inspired Huesby to take up the challenging leadership role.
“When she was playing last year, she was always good at getting people to do what they needed to do. She’s always had that coaching role, even when she was playing, and she’s creating a good dynamic,” Huesby said.
The Falcons are on track to adding another stellar year to the list, winning their first game against Lynbrook on Sept. 16 with a final score of 1-0.
“Even though the team is really different this year, without a JV team, I think a lot of the changes will be good for the program,” sophomore Evelyn Williams said. “Now that we have a roster of 18 people, we’re focusing on a lot of the small details that will definitely add up in games, so I feel really excited about this year and our chances to improve.”