As the soccer season approaches, the girls’ varsity soccer team prepares to face the competition. With their skill and determination, the girls grow closer as they continue to practice with one another.

“It’s a great experience, I get to work with an amazing group of players that are dedicated and have love for the game. As a leader, along with [senior and co-captain] Sophia [Venegas], we have to make sure the team is focused and ready to go,” senior and co-captain Amber Lee said.

Being a captain of a 26 player team bears difficulty in keeping the players on track. Lee and Venegas perform the role of co-captains by keeping the girls focused and motivated. Preparing for the upcoming season is not only focused on an individual’s skill. Working together with teammates and communicating effectively with each other allows the team to grow together, rather than having one or two players carrying the team.

Even with such a large group of girls, they manage to grow strong bonds with one another through their shared interest of growing into stronger players.
“A large team makes high school soccer much more enjoyable because it creates an amazingly supportive environment and energy for both games and practices,” junior and varsity player Rebecca Giat said. “It pushes everyone to perform because it’s a competitive program, but not to the point of threatening the ability to maintain close friendships with everyone.”

The girls practice nearly everyday, allowing them to grow closer to each other every practice. Learning to work as a team might be one of the hardest parts when playing on a team sport. The published article “The Importance of Communication in Sports” written by Arkansas State University establishes the importance communication holds when in a team setting: “Teams that promote positive communication and respect among players improve overall motivation. Coaches who learn to communicate effectively with their athletes can deliver positive feedback and constructive criticism in ways that actually influence players’ performance.”

Just like the team captains, coaches hold the responsibility to focus on individual players as well as the group’s progress in order to develop the team’s overall skill.

“If anything, we are just enhancing what we already know and taking our present game to the next level,” coach Jackie Farber said.
Pushing the players to their fullest potential allows the coach and captains to see the full skill set of each player. In a team setting, players push each other to perform not just for themselves, but for the team they are playing for.

Like all sports teams at Woodbridge High, the players connect with each other, becoming not just friends, but a group of girls that are determined and willing to work together to accomplish a shared goal of achieving their very best.