After a historic 2024-25 season that ended with both a CCS and CIF championship, this year’s Varsity Girls Soccer team has faced a slightly different reality. Nine seniors left the program during the past two seasons, along with one transfer and another rising senior relocating out of state. The roster is dominated by underclassmen, including seven freshmen, three sophomores, one junior, and eight seniors. These underclassmen are now being asked to step into demanding varsity-level roles immediately.
Brooke Klemens ‘29, a starting midfielder, said she honestly “loves it, and never feel[s] scared or nervous to go play,” and that her teammates, captains, and coaches are “always so supportive.” The prospect of some girls possibly being over four years older isn’t something she thinks about often. Instead, Klemens focuses on “playing for the team as well as [she] can.”
Head Coach Armando del Rio says the growth throughout the season has been noticeable. “They’ve gained so much experience, and despite being young, the team is competing very well,” he said. This season has been a challenging one already, with the team holding a league record of 1-2-1, and there are no “easy games” on the schedule. Younger players are earning minutes and starting regularly, accelerating their development far earlier than probably expected.
“It obviously comes with challenges,” said Senior Captain Sabine Mendoza ‘26, “because the team is normally more upperclassmen-heavy with people who have been playing together longer, but I think it’s been fun for both me and the freshman to be around people who are almost like sisters who you can mentor, both on and off the field.”
Associate Head Coach Jake Moffat echoed the adjustment this year, noting that several players are being asked to take on responsibilities “probably too early,” but emphasized that injuries and roster shifts have forced the team to grow quickly. He noted growth in the freshman class and the team as a whole since tryouts in November. Moffat also said that the younger players have “stepped in and done a really nice job” developing. “Getting to see them grow” excites Mendoza as well, and seeing these freshmen “sprinting around the field giving all their effort is really fun and amazing to watch and be a part of.”
Beyond on-the-field performance, the coaches and captains have pointed to culture as one of the most encouraging aspects of the season. For del Rio, one of the clearest signs of the positive team culture has been what happens before practice starts after school every day. “For the first time that I’ve seen, our new players are always out early and passing the ball around, which is exactly the culture we want,” he said.
“The team has always had a very welcoming environment for the lowerclassmen,” says Mendoza. She remembers being very scared coming onto the varsity team as a freshman, but said she “always felt so special,” and that feeling has only been added to now that she’s a senior who takes the younger players under her wing, which “makes it even more fun.”
Del Rio asserted that this culture has been reinforced by the team’s senior leadership. Mendoza, as well as Captains Lauryn Masetti and Talia Samuels, have embraced the challenge of leading a young group and bringing optimism, resilience, and energy while setting the standard through their own work ethic and leading by example.
