Girls Soccer- Then vs. Now
With the graduation of one of the most prominent soccer players of Las Lomas-- Class of 2017’s Haley Brown-- as well as a large number of the girls varsity soccer team last year, one might think that the team has changed for the worst. According to varsity players Uki Fujiwara and Sophie Runte, there is nothing to worry about despite the early issues.
Preseason struggles were evident and attributed to players’ departures. “The midfield was mostly seniors like Haley Brown and Mackenzie Patterson,” said sophomore Uki Fujiwara, “This year… our team had the trouble of connecting in the middle because everyone is so new with each other, but now, we are starting to connect better and play a lot better with each other.” In addition to that, senior Sophie Runte noticed “a drop in the overall competitiveness since the seniors left,” which might sound alarming. Runte later noted that “this team is now less harsh and hard on each other and probably a little less stressed out to do well.”
Runte, a fourth-year varsity player, has been on the team long enough to recognize that each year has its struggles; this is simply another cycle. As a varsity player for four years, she has experienced these struggles before. “As a freshman, the chemistry wasn’t as strong as the team would’ve hoped especially coming off of the NCS finals the previous year,” said Runte. “My sophomore year, we just clicked from the very beginning. We did decently in league, had a respectable seed in NCS, and… won over Bishop O’Dowd in the finals, the first time girls soccer won NCS at Las Lomas.” This year; however, seems to be the biggest shift in the so-called cycle. “[Our coach] was working with virtually the same starting line up for three years so it’s been somewhat of a process and it continues to be a process to find out who works best where on the field.”
Ultimately, both understand that with every year, the great, experienced players leave, but new, strong players are given their chance to shine as well. As a captain, Runte has the role of setting examples for new varsity players and staying positive despite the extreme change. “As a captain my junior and senior years, I’ve tried to stay level headed,” said Runte.
Though the team’s roster has obviously changed, the varsity girls soccer team is still headed for great things. The loss of notable players has evidently altered the team, but definitely not their goals or confidence. “Our overall goal is still to win NCS,” said Runte. Fujiwara, on that same note, has hope for the future: “Looking at the JV team and the freshman team, I think we will be okay and still be very strong. As long as the motivation and positive mentality is there, any year will be a good team.”
