The school bell rings at 3:30 to signify the end of another school day and with that, the preparation for the beginning of girls’ varsity soccer season commences.

They will compete in the newly founded Sunset League this season, which places them in the middle between the Mountain League and the Ocean League.

The main component of preseason is training, it is clear things are running smoothly. Starting at the player-led warmup, the girls go straight into passing drills, which the players already know and are prepared for. 

Head coach Steve Pugh, who has been coaching girls’ varsity soccer for eight years,

says that this year winning league is their top priority. He believes what held the team back in the past was putting goals in the net, and it is a main focus of training this year:

“This year we’re really focusing on shooting and finishing,” Pugh said. Along with the technical work, they are also working on the tactical side, pressuring the other team from top to bottom.

“We’re really working on playing physical and playing a full 80 minutes of soccer and not letting up,” Pugh said. 

As captain Hannah Bourgault (11) puts it: “We’re all working really hard. And we are 3-0 so far. It’s way better than we’ve done in the past.” She believes they might be in the running to be the first Sunset league champion.                                                           

One of the factors Bourgault believes will help their future success is the depth of the team.

“Anyone could start really, I feel like that’s something I appreciate about our team,” she said.

Zoe Kinder, a sophomore first-year on varsity, believes the main focus of their pre-season is to build team connection on and off the field. Kinder mentions how she is excited for tournaments to get to know her teammates by staying in hotels together. All the girls who come from different backgrounds in soccer do not know how one another plays, but Bourgault believes the chemistry on the team will come with time. 

“I feel like the season is going to be really fun, and we have some really talented players, so I think we’re going to do well,” Bourgault said.

The varsity girls first league home game is on January 9 at the Parish field.