The girls’ soccer team started off the season with a win against Palos Verdes, one of their top rivals, in the Beckman tournament on Nov. 29.

The squad won all four of its matches in the tournament, save a 2-1 defeat against Junipero Serra. The team is currently focusing on working more cohesively before the league matches start.

“This season, we have gone in not really knowing what to expect but I surprised ourselves,” left winger Ariana Miles ’18 said. “We are now mainly trying to work on our rhythm on the field and to play together by connecting passes and defending well together. We are also working on talking and communicating on the field because we are generally a more quiet team.”

The team is also undergoing a shift in leadership. As opposed to the eight seniors that were leading the squad, this year there are only three seniors to lead the team.

“It makes the leadership role a lot different because it makes it so that the juniors also have to step up and have a leadership role,” Miles said. “It also makes it so our team doesn’t have as much experience at the varsity level, but we have a deep bench and a lot of people who can step up and play.”

Although the team is still adjusting to the change in leadership, players see some benefits in delegating leadership roles to players of different grade levels. This season is also one of the few that the soccer team has had a junior, Bridget Stokdyk ’18, as the team captain.

“When I pick a captain, I’m really just looking for people that will step up to the leadership job, be a catalyst for our team, and gain the girls’ respect,” Girls’ Soccer Program Head Richard Simms said

The team is 6-2-1 as of press time, and is looking forward to the rest of the season and the first league game against Chaminade High School on Jan. 11.

“I’m really excited about the upcoming [games],” center midfielder Olivia Bautista ’19 said. “We all have each other’s back sand we are excited to play together and win.”