Every year at MV, the team starts back up during the Spring interval, but how are they feeling about this season?

Ximena Raya, ‘23, expressed, “I’m feeling pretty confident, our team has been preparing differently this year.”

Coach Rob Kennedy, women’s soccer coach, mentioned, “[I am] feeling hopeful.  We were really close to being able to have a JV team. My goals are to develop a true soccer program with the development of a JV team as well as our varsity team. As far as wins and losses go, I’m hoping for better performance out of our team this year.”

With all this talk about building a better team and improving skills, one might think proper teammates would be a key factor in building the success of the group. How well does the team actually work together?

Morgan Moschino, ‘23, commented, “We work very well together by communicating on the field and helping each other out in any situation.”

Raya added, “We are actually working a lot on communicating. We have a lot of new players that are new to the game, and to the team.”

Though soccer isn’t just fun and games, there’s a lot of effort the team puts into their sport that makes certain aspects of it very difficult.

Maddy Snodsmith, ‘25, noted that the hardest part about soccer was, “winning.”

Coach Kennedy replied, “To be honest…[the hardest part is] the lack of true soccer education and development in our area. Our athletes are at least 7 years behind most metro area players due to the lack of year-round soccer training and a true club atmosphere in our area.”

When trying out a new sport, one of the best things to do is to set goals for yourself, so what advice can the team give us about achieving those objectives?

Moschino answered, “The key to success in soccer is to never give up and to push yourself to do your best,” and “My advice I would give would be to have confidence in yourself and to listen to your teammates and coaches as they can help you improve your skills daily. Never give up on your opportunities!”

Coach Kennedy commented that the key factor to success is, “Proper soccer education through teaching our athletes proper skills along with teaching them the cognitive thought processes of on-field problem solving during gameplay.”

Snodsmith stated that it’s essential to, “Work as a team and talk,” and “Be more aggressive than you think.”

However, with over 8,000 different sports all around the world, how is soccer any different?

Coach Kennedy explained, “Soccer is not like a lot of sports where they use athleticism but run predetermined plays to earn a result. Soccer includes athleticism as well as learning skills using your feet, a body part that is typically less used for functional skills. We then have to have athletes that are able to problem solve during gameplay both when they have possession of the ball and more so when they don’t. It is truly a very truly complex sport, but most people don’t invest the time to truly learn the game.”

Snodsmith shared, “Soccer is a sport you can’t make plays in, you just have to play as the game goes; making quick decisions.”

Raya replied, “It’s a very diverse sport that is played worldwide, and is a very player-focused game.”

Hopefully, throughout this season, fans will see the soccer team meet and exceed their goals. With that in mind, soccer is sure to soar.

Coach Kennedy noted, “Change can’t occur overnight, but I feel if these ladies keep focused and working hard we will see better results going forward.”

Raya disclosed, “Don’t be afraid to try something new, you might like it, and try your best,” and “[I am] very excited for my last season, let’s hope we can prove something this year, and keep building the program.”

Moschino expressed, “I am thankful for being able to participate in soccer and as a team, we have improved greatly over the past few weeks. Let’s win some games this year!”