With cooling temperatures and shorter days, the season of fall sports season is slowly coming to an end, and winter sports are right around the corner. For the varsity girls soccer team, more will change in this season than just the weather. 

With the loss of 12 seniors from last year’s Open Division championship winners, the girls soccer team will be presented with the challenge of filling those spots with new players and developing a team with the potential to be as successful as last year’s team.

To many of the remaining girls who were members of last year’s 16-4-4  team, having great chemistry was a valuable aspect of what made their team so memorable. This was true for Layla Salem (11), entering her third year of varsity girls soccer, who says she believes the moments off the field were what truly made her team successful.

“We were full of amazing soccer players and athletes but it was everything else,” Salem said. “It was the lifting each other up on the field every time we did something good, it was the dressing up for each game, it was the getting dinner after our games, it was us all collectively singing the National Anthem before every game. What made us so good is every laugh and tear that we had because we had it together.”  

Between the strength in the ability of the players and in the bonds they forged with one another, this year brings up the question whether the team will be restored to what it once was. Kaitlyn Arciaga (11) says she has both hopes and fears for her and her teammates regarding the changes this season will bring.

“I think that everyone is a little worried due to the fact that we lost 12 seniors, but I think that we could end up being just as good as we were last year, especially having some really great leaders on our team that are going to help us progress,” Arciaga said. “I definitely think that this season is going to test us, but I think we have the potential to do really well.” 

Tryouts were held Nov. 6-10, and provided the freshmen, junior varsity, and varsity coaches with good insight about the direction the season will head. 

Assistant varsity coach Nic Spiess said he has high hopes for the players who will be called up to play at the varsity level. 

“You always go through cycles and this group of girls will just have to step up to play,” Spiess said. “We will have to build chemistry and try to figure out what the best system is for us and just have fun.”

With all the uncertainty as a result of losing players, Spiess explains the solid aspect of his newly formed team.

“We have tremendous depth and talent at the goalkeeping position.” Spiess says.

Girls soccer has proved to be very competitive at Westview and being a part of the varsity team comes with the added pressures of wanting to do well to support your school. Many players aspiring to join and returners from the varsity team have been working hard to get ready for the upcoming season, with their first match taking place on Dec. 5 against Eastlake High School. 

Many exciting matches are coming up for the team. Arciaga said that she is excited to play Del Norte because they are a very competitive team and their rivals. Beyond that, she says she is excited for the season in general which will be a fun experience and an opportunity for girls soccer to bring more wins to Westview. 

Salem says that she is looking forward to playing with the new girls on the team, and overall the future of girls soccer at Westview. 

“It will be very new and interesting to rebuild the team,” she said, “but we have so much new talent so I believe that we can be just as good or even better than last year.”