Girls’ soccer aims to rebuild in a short season

After dropping divisions and having two major injuries last season, the team expects much better results

Head Coach: Ben Maxwell

Last year’s record: 0-10-1

Recap: Last year, two star players suffered from torn ACLs, and the team moved down a division.

Key Matchups: April 14 against Milpitas High School

Star Players: Seniors canter forward Leila Chaudry and center back Michelle Lim, junior center mid-fielder/outside back Lauren Yarrington

Key losses to graduation: Kiran Chandrasekher, Julia Hoffman, Ananya Krishnan and Claire Smerdon

League: SCVAL El Camino League

Prognosis:

Following a division drop after last season, the team is focusing more on building a better foundation since the school has a smaller team this year and lost seven seniors to graduation last year.

“The reality is that we are a smaller school, so that now that we are playing against other smaller schools, I expect that we will have a better winning record,” head coach Ben Maxwell said.

This year, 30 players registered to try out, but the school mandates that there will only be a varsity team, Maxwell said.

“I’m not sure what size roster we will carry, but due to the long break in between this season and last, I expect to have a larger roster to deal with injury and fatigue,” Maxwell said.

Due to the new state guidelines, players will no longer need to wear masks during practices except on the bench. Additionally, contact is allowed during practices and games.

“The first week of practice was nice to get back into the groove of playing soccer again with contact, which has been difficult with the pandemic,” junior Lauren Yarrington said.

The team is preparing for their first game of the season on March 15 against Wilcox. This season will be cut short, with only eight weeks and but still playing 11 games total.

While there may be safety concerns, the coaches are making sure the necessary precautions take place, including social distancing during drills and water breaks.

“The reality is that we now live in a COVID conscious world, so it is important to ensure player health and safety,” Maxwell said.