After an unbeaten season last year, the girls varsity soccer team tryouts started this week, but key players from last year graduating leaves this season riddled with doubt.
Monday, Oct. 31. was the beginning of tryouts for most winter sports, including soccer, which kicks off the winter sports season. The girls varsity team, headed by coaches Lindsey Moynihan and Jillian Quan, looks to repeat their stellar undefeated record from the 2021-2022 season, but this time in one division higher. Their previous undefeated record in the Pacific Athletic League (PAL) Ocean Division earned them a promotion to the Bay Division, where they will face the toughest and highest-ranked opponents in the PAL.
“It will definitely be a different ball game since we are up in the Bay Division this year, but based on the amount of talent we’ve seen at these tryouts, I think we can set the bar pretty high,” Quan said.
Moynihan echoed that optimism for the upcoming season but also noted that there are other goals for the season that don’t involve winning.
“Team cohesion is something we always hope for,” Moynihan said. “Good chemistry can translate well onto the field and we want our girls to have a great time.”
The tryouts, which mainly consisted of some small skills drills and a scrimmage, have shown the coaches a lot of talent in both new and returning players. One returning player, Emilie Brack, has high hopes for the season.
“There are so many great players this year and I can’t wait to see what we can do,” Brack said.
The talented player pool is a major positive for this year’s soccer team, but it can lead to some difficult decisions by coaches during tryouts.
“We’re super excited just to see so many girls coming out just to try out,” Quan said. “It’s going to be competitive every year which we want. These girls should want to compete out here because if we want to stay in the Bay Division, we got to be competitive.”
