Mitty’s Women’s Soccer team, coming off a solid record of 12-3-4 that helped it secure a second-place spot in league last season, is back at it again. After narrowly missing the CSS semi-finals last year, the Monarchs are eager to leave their mark this time around.
The team is led by six girls who have all finalized their commitments to continue playing soccer at the collegiate level: Elizabeth Bray to Colorado Mesa, Lauren Collier and Kiki Vostermans to Cal Poly, Taylor Eagleson to Pacific, Jordan Geis to UCLA, and Cammy Ventura to SJSU.
The team has a long legacy of CCS titles and WCAL championships, but the women’s soccer program values one thing over everything else: love. “Everything we do is love and respect for ourselves and for one another” says Coach J.T. Hanley. While Coach J.T. has high aspirations for his team this year, he continuously and consistently emphasizes the importance of love and respect, invaluable principles he hopes to instill in all of his players.
Sophomore defender Angie Cao further adds that the team’s strength lies in the unwavering support each player extends to one another. This supportiveness allows each player to “build off of each other and grow as a team.” A successful season for this group of ambitious Monarchs consists not only of adding to their long list of tangible awards and achievements, but also embracing the love they have for one another and collectively lifting each other up.
With an emphasis on building each other up, the team has many guiding principles. However, most important of them all is their motto: “WeBeforeMe.” The tight sisterhood community preaches the importance of bonding together and putting the needs of the team over the individual. This is crucial in soccer, where the outcomes of games rely heavily on the players’ abilities to collaborate with each other and comprehend each other’s actions.
“Once the game begins, it’s a players game not a coaches game” says Coach J.T. Since the coach can’t dictate what happens in the flow of the game, it’s up to the players to take what they have learned in practice and trust each other to do what it takes to win. Coach J.T. expands on this point, saying “What we do together builds what our season ends up looking like.” Soccer is not a one man sport where a single player can make or break the team; instead, each player is like a brick, and they need to work together to build a wall.
It’s a player’s game, not a coach’s game
— Coach J.T. Hanley
As the season commences, Coach J.T.’s main focus for the team this year is to be the most fit team against their competition. He hopes that when they step onto any field, they’ll be able to outrun and outlast any of their opponents. In order to achieve that goal, the coaching staff intend to incorporate fitness work into their practices, along with technical drills aimed at enhancing the team’s speed of play and tactical awareness.
With the addition of new players as well as seasoned veterans, this year’s roster is filled to the brim with talent, setting the stage for a promising season.