Lack of deep roster hurts girls’ soccer’s performance in upper division

Senior Katelyn Fritz dribbles the ball during senior night against Los Gatos on Feb. 8.

Victories haven’t been easy against tougher teams.

When the girls’ soccer team led 2-0 during their Jan. 23 home against Santa Clara, it was an unfamiliar feeling: It was the first time in four games that the Falcons had been ahead.

But it didn’t last. They were punished when they made three unfavorable mistakes in open play, going down 3-2 with 15 minutes left to go. Freshman winger Claire Chen then slotted the ball into the back of the net for the equalizer, but it wasn’t enough. The Falcons ultimately lost 4-3.

“We weren’t playing to our full potential [in the second half],” senior captain and midfielder Kate Oberhauser said. “We lost composure [after the opposing team’s first goal] and everything just spiraled out of control. No one was in the right headspace, especially towards the end of the game, and [the Bruins] became way more threatening than they should have been on the attacking side.”

After a lopsided 6-0 loss to Los Gatos on Feb. 8, a 6-1 loss to Mountain View on Feb. 6, a 3-0 loss to Homestead on Feb. 2, a 2-1 loss to Palo Alto on Jan. 30 and the disappointing result against Santa Clara, the team stood at sixth in the De Anza league. With one game left to go against Los Altos on Feb. 13, the team holds a 1-10 record as of Feb. 9.

Oberhauser has noticed that in numerous games, while the Falcons’ starting lineup has been able to match up to opponents in regards to style and execution of play, far too many games have quickly shifted out of favor and become difficult to even tie. She attributes this to a lack of depth in the roster, as the team members have varied levels of experience.

She recalls in the game against Palo Alto on Jan. 2, the opposing team was able to sub out almost all their starting players midway through the second half and thus were able to maintain the same level of play, an opportunity that the Falcons do not have.

On the bright side, with junior Sofia Cintra stepping up as goalkeeper midway through the season, the team has found consistency in its starting lineup and has been able to play through three formations — 4-3-3, 4-4-2 and 5-3-2 — and switch between them depending on which teams they play.

In games where they know they have more of a chance going forward and attacking, they play with four defenders in the back instead of five, while in games where the Falcons need more support in the defensive line, they play in a 5-3-2 formation. Assistant coach Andrew McRobbie finds that playing with five defenders “gives [their] creative players the opportunity to still do what they do from a solid base.”

“We have to be able to work to our strengths, while trying to nullify the opponent’s chances — we just have to be flexible [in formation to try and] get results out of games,” McRobbie said.

From a coach’s perspective, while he feels the team has not earned the wins that their work deserves, he recognizes it is part of the reality of playing in the upper division with 7 underclassmen in a 17-man roster. He acknowledges that inconsistencies in execution have also played a problematic role in results. “There have been times that we have shot ourselves in the foot at times and not maximized what we’ve got,” McRobbie said. “On the other hand, we’ve been proud of how everyone’s fought till the end and the performances have definitely overall improved in games.”