New JV Team Helps Walls Girls Soccer Build for the Future
Fall means a lot of different things: school starting, days getting shorter, but most importantly it means sports season starts. At SWW, fall sporting events have some of the most competitive teams that all consistently perform well. One such team is girls soccer.
In previous years the girls soccer team has competed exclusively at the varsity level, but this year the team has expanded to include a junior varsity team as well. After many years of trying to make a JV team possible, Head Coach Marek Gootman and Assistant Coach Giovanni Sandoval made the decision to field a competitive JV team along with a varsity team.
According to Head Coach Gootman, the addition of the new team, “ensures a pipeline for the future.” In the past there has been an academy team where players would practice with the varsity squad but not actually play in games; which has led to bad player retention. Gootman also highlighted how many seniors they have this season; so while they could only fit a few new players on the team this year, the coaches still wanted an opportunity for other excellent players to stay involved.
The ability to roster double the amount of players also gives an opportunity for more freshmen to play. Coach Gootman highlighted that because only schools with competitive soccer programs and high interest can field a JV team, on average, each game may actually be more competitive than those that varsity plays in their regular season. Additionally, the team will only play seven games, as compared to the varsity’s eighteen games, allowing more freshmen to play on the team and still adapt to a new school because of the lower commitment.
To get prepared for these competitive games, Eliza Cobb (‘30) explains that, “we practice almost everyday.” According to Juno Nykyfochyn-Clark (‘30), this consistency has paid off. “The team is definitely getting better and there’s a lot more chemistry and connection,” she said.
Coach Gootman also emphasized the importance of creating a whole team community. “We are not just a varsity team and a JV team, we are one team,” he said. To emphasize this, the varsity team has made it their goal this season to make sure that everyone feels included. Juno explained, “varsity has been very very welcoming and I feel like they have gone out of their way to make a great community.”
O verall, the players have given the impression that the team is off to an excellent start. The team’s schedule is on the SWW athletics website, and it is highly encouraged to come to games and support the team.