Miami Dolphins

ANDY WANG/THE CAMPANILE Varsity player Katherine Thomsen takes possession of the ball and passes it to Olivia Milne (far left) during their game against Leland High School on Dec. 3. The Vikings tied against their competitors with a score of 1-1. “I’m really hopeful for the upcoming season,” senior and captain Kaitlin Meyer said. “Last year, it was difficult with all the losses, but this year I’m really optimistic about how the season is going to play out.”

Under new coach Armando Luna, former coach of Los Altos High School’s girls varsity soccer team, the varsity girls soccer team hopes to outperform their record from the previous season.

“The team is looking good,” Luna said. “I am very excited. We have a lot of very unique, special players that bring something different to the playing field: not your typical technical, (safe-playing) player.” By Andy Wang Staff Writer Captain and senior Kaitlin Meyer says she has high hopes for the team in the upcoming weeks of the season.

“Last year, we faced a lot of difficulties, and the losses made it tough on us,” Meyer said. “I am really hopeful and optimistic about how the season is going to play out.”

The team kicked off the season with a 1-1 draw against Leland High School on Dec. 3, with sophomore Mariana Kessinger striking a goal to tie the game.

Coaching the players in a game for the first time, Luna said he witnessed both moments of struggle and moments of triumph. “Not only is it the first game of the season, it is also the first game for me to coach them (...) and for players who were not on varsity last season to play,” Luna said. “A lot of players stepped up and impressed me for the level of playing and pressure they could handle.” Meyer says she appreciates how well Coach Armando is working with the team and his communication. After tying their first game, Meyer says the team has great potential.

“It is disappointing that we tied, and we definitely had a hard time when we were attacking and staying calm,” Meyer said. “However, it’s only the first game, and we have a lot of room for improvement. I am proud of our starting base and I know we will build up from that.”

From observing the game and practice, Luna said he gained numerous insights on the areas of improvement that the team will work on as the season progresses. “We need to work on being “We have a lot of very unique, special players that bring something different.” Armando Luna “Not only is it the first game of the season, it is also the first game for me to coach them. ” Armando Luna able to use versatile players more efficiently, and to keep more possession of the ball,” Luna said. “In order for our attackers to be utilized to their max, we have to keep possession of the ball.”

As captain, Meyer hopes to better the team through bonding. “We really need to build good relationships,” Meyer said. “I think that was something that was lacking last year, so I want to organize some social events to create and further the team’s chemistry.”

The Vikings face off against Menlo-Atherton High School at home on Dec. 5.

By Tien Nguyen Art & Photo Director T he boys varsity soccer team is kicking off the season with new players and a win already under their belt.

In their first game against Mountain View, they won 4-0 on Nov. 22.

Junior Teg Singh has high hopes for the rest of the season because of the way the team has been working together so far.

“As a new varsity player, I will have to get used to faster-paced play and bigger and more skilled opponents,” Singh said. “The team members are quite close, as many of us have strong bonds from last season and throughout the time between last season and this season. The bonds translate into the game, as everyone knows each other’s playing style and can work together more effectively, resulting in better play and overall a more fun experience.”

TIEN NGUYEN/THE CAMPANILE Varsity player Christopher Chen rolls up his sleeve as he passes the ball to senior Charlie Camarena at warms-ups before practice, who then passes it to junior Francisco Moll. “I am looking forward to the Los Gatos games because those always get really intense and the rivalry brings out the best in our play,” said Teg Singh, a new player on the Paly team.

ing to work well with the new additions.

“I think that this year we will have more challenges than last year as we have lost some key seniors, but I think that we should be good enough to win a good number of games this season,” Brody said. “I think the new additions look somewhat promising, but I think they will improve throughout the season. This year, our team may look a little more defensive than it has in the past, and more focused on the wings as we lost a few seniors that locked down the midfield and allowed us to attack.”

Brody said that the team’s new players seem to have unique skill sets, which is something to be optimistic about for upcoming games.

“Personally, I’m looking forward to winning some games and playing physical, as it looks like we have a very physical team,” Brody said.

Coach Donald Briggs agrees that the team has been working together well so far, but said that they are struggling to fit all of the skills of the separate team members together to create a cohesive team. Nevertheless, they are working together to be successful for the rest of the season to come. “So far, it seems good; a nice group of kids, they work well together,” Briggs said. “But, sometimes you don’t know until you have a little adversity, because a lot of these players play for different clubs, and now we’re putting them together in one team that can learn to work together and do what we expect them to do.”

The goals for the rest of the season include winning the game against Los Gatos because of their fierce rivalry, and to hopefully make it to Central Coast Section. The team is hoping to see steady improvement during the rest of the season.

“It’ll be interesting to see how they grow because we have some really young players,” Briggs said. “We have one freshman and several sophomores.”

The team lost their first game against Sequoia High School this season on Dec. 3, with a score of 2-1. Their next upcoming game scheduled is for Dec. 9 against Menlo-Atherton at 3:30 p.m.