On Thursday, January 16, the Irvington Varsity Girls Soccer team faced off against Mission San Jose’s Varsity Girls soccer team. Going into the game with a 1-8 regular season record, the Vikings were looking to break out of their rough patch.
The game started off challenging, with Mission San Jose controlling the ball for the majority of the first half. The Warriors were able to score three times during the first half, but Irvington did not let up and continued fighting back. While they had possession of the ball, they were able to carry it down the field and take a few shots at goal, but all attempts were blocked up until the end of the half. With only a few minutes left in the first half, the Vikings took their first successful shot at goal, refueling and re-energizing them for the second half that was to come.
The second half of the game was no doubt an improvement from the first. Not only were the Vikings in control of the ball considerably more compared to the first half, but they were also able to lock down on Mission San Jose’s offense, stopping many close attempts on the goal. Irvington’s second goal came after a foul in the goal box which led to a penalty kick. The tension in the air was palpable, and one moment later, the ball soared into the goal, leading to cheers from the Irvington parents and supporters alike.
The game ended with a 2-5 score, and although they lost, the team saw significant improvements during the game.
“We made improvements in our team communication and structure overall during the game,” said forward Linna Sha (11). Captain Natalie Brahan (12) echoed a similar sentiment, voicing that communication was an aspect that the team needed to focus on heading into the season.
At the start of the season, the team also focused heavily on setting a foundation for future seasons. “We had a lot of new players who had never played club soccer or soccer at this level, so we wanted to build up their skills and have a strong foundation going into the next few seasons,” shared Brahan.
Coach Becerra similarly commented, “Every player is learning every minute of the game. It’s not going to happen in just one year, but [they] need to continue building up their skills for future years.”
With just a few more weeks left of the regular season, the Irvington Girls Varsity Soccer team, despite the loss against Mission San Jose, will without a doubt flourish and only get better with each year that comes.
