Senior becomes essential player through hard work

As the MVP on the JV team her sophomore year and an All League First Team Player her junior year, senior Courtney Schlossareck has continued to excel in soccer and has emerged as key player for the girls’ soccer team.

In first grade, Schlossareck decided to try soccer to see if she liked it. After discovering her passion and talent for the sport, Schlossareck took her game to the next level by joining the competitive De Anza

Force soccer club in fifth grade.

“As a child, I always watched the older kids play soccer and I wanted to be as good as them,” Schlossareck said. “When I joined the club team, I realized that I was pretty good at soccer and I could keep on getting better through hard work.”  

Since the Falcons barely made the cut-off to stay in the competitive De Anza League with a 3-8-1 record last year, Schlossareck expects hard work and determination from the unusually large team of 26 girls.

“A good goal for this year is to win more games than last year and ensure that we stay in the upper division,” Schlossareck said. “There are a lot of girls on the team this year, so I think keeping the team unified is also another good goal.”     

According to her teammates, Schlossareck is the playmaker for the team and an active thinker on the field. 

“She is good at passing and doesn’t hold on to the ball like ball hog,” senior Rachel Leonard said. “She reads the plays so she knows what’s going to happen next.”

Not only is her passing extraordinary, but her agility and shooting ability is what separates her from others.

“When she shoots on goal she has good placement, and it always goes in,” Leonard said.

As one of the seniors for the team, Schlossareck sets a good example for the rest of her team by putting 100 percent of her energy into winning the ball back after losing possession.

“Even if I am tired, I push myself through the burn to poke the ball away from the opposing players and push the ball up the field,” Schlossareck said.

Aside from her skills on the field, Schlossareck has a friendly personality that Leonard highly praises.

“[Schlossareck] always includes people and she is very nice,” Leonard said. “She always encourages people and tells them ‘good job.’”

Even though Schlossareck may appear to be slender, her finesse touches on the ball and her speed make her a difficult opponent to defend.     

“People may underestimate her because she is pretty small but her quick passing and speed get her out of trouble,” Leonard said.

Although Schlossareck is a skilled soccer player, she is not going to pursue it on a college team.

“I'm not going to play on the [college] team or anything like that, but I might might play club or intramural soccer in college,” Schlossareck said.