The past seven weeks of preseason training up until now have been dedicated to helping new players of the girls’ soccer team acclimate to old routines and returning players learn new ones as they prepare for the season. The girls’ soccer team has been practicing harder this off-season in preparation for their upcoming games this winter.

“Getting out every day, whether it’s training, film, weight room, or conditioning is how we tried to start this season off. The preseason is very important to us specifically as we play so many regular season games, so practices during the week are ultimately limited,” team captain Evelyn Pham (’24) said. “Working on our own personal development and going through our different skill-based drills beforehand has definitely helped the team transition smoothly into the regular season.”

While getting the girls back into routine head coach Vaughn Volpi had been setting her new aspirations for the team. Each year is a competition with the last, the girls striving to do better. This only gets increasingly difficult as time passes seeing as for the past three years the girls were given the honorific title of being a team filled with ‘All-American Athletes’.

“I think as a team we need to focus primarily on cohesion and connecting on the field. Skill development is always looking to be improved upon, but if we work well enough together it’d make a difference,” Pham said.

Although determined, the team faces many challenges being the smallest public school in the county, but that only motivates them to find new ways to get better on the field. In addition to this, they added a new assistant coach Blaine Ham to work specifically on defense tactics and have increased the number of team bonding activities. Ham hopes to improve positioning discipline and decision making of the defenders.

“Simple but critical tasks like proper pressure and cover techniques and making good decisions on when to clear the ball away to protect our goalkeeper,” Ham said.

The main goals for the All-American team this year is to hopefully make it to their 12th playoff in a row, which is more than any other sports team at Robinson and possibly make it to the state championships. Through the new talent discovered and development of returning players this year the girls have no doubt that anything is possible.

“I think our soccer team is the best it’s been in the four years I’ve been playing,” fellow captain Skyllar Erikson (’23) said.

Despite the strong expectations, there is a place for everyone on the team, if they are willing to commit.

“We believe the best team wins the game… not the team with the best players.” Coach Volpi said.