Coming into what seems to be a transition year for HP Girl’s soccer they aim to have a bounce back year after what has been a couple poor seasons the past two years. The mountain back to success will be tough to climb as they enter this season with shoes to fill from former alumni that graduated last June putting the pressure on returners to make up for the large amount of players they have lost this past summer.
With a lot of new faces on the team this year HP Girls Soccer look to find their identity this season as the juniors from last year that are now seniors look to carry the burden left from the seniors that graduated last year as HP saw 12 seniors from last year’s Varsity team walk the stage this past June, key players that also served as captains Cristina Talavera, Elisa Aquino, and Katherine Castillo. The task will be difficult but HP is up for the challenge as adversity is something they have seemed to grow accustomed to in the past couple of seasons.
“The team this year is different, the vibe is different but in a good way, I love the idea of being challenged with the challenge being that we have to take the time in practice to adjust to new playing styles while also building chemistry with new teammates. I am all for that… Although the team this year looks really different which is kind of weird I do expect us to have a better season this year than last year,”
says Clarissa Moreno, senior and defender(#10).
HP looks forward to also flipping the script as the past couple seasons have not been the friendliest to HP with a couple losing seasons. In the past two seasons combined HP only has a record of 10-29 with 6 draws to go with it just 2 years coming off a league title definitely not what you expect as a response by the club. Coach Correa states,
“The expectation is that all student athletes, new and returning in the girls soccer program, are to commit to intense training everyday, accept the decisions of the coaches at practices and games, and be respectful towards everyone on the team. With this in mind, the girls soccer program will have an amazing and successful soccer season,”
Coach Correa is an alum and retired Dean of HP. He has been coaching Girl’s Soccer for the last 14 years in HP. He was the coach when the team won CIF in the 2016-17 season with three Eastern League Championships (2019-20, 2021-22, and 2022-23).
A preview of what’s to come this season in what seems to be a new era of HP girls soccer which is a tremendous opportunity for players looking to elevate their game and step up for the players who graduated this previous year. The youth culture seems to be taking over as more new faces are going to be playing Varsity this year, a change of scenery for a team who’s had their fair share of struggles recently coming off a couple poor seasons, it looks to be an exciting year for HP Varsity girls soccer.
Written by Adrian Garcia, Sports Editor