With the preseason having just concluded, the La Salle girls varsity soccer team now holds a 2-2-3 record and a #10 ranking in 5A.

With league season beginning, the team has been putting in a lot of time to prepare. Junior captain Mackenzie Greenslade explained the team’s goals for the rest of their season. “We want to get pretty far in playoffs this year and win league,” Greenslade said. 

On Sept. 19, the team took on Oregon City in one of their preseason games. After falling short to them last season, the game ended in a 0-0 tie. 

They also hosted Hood River Valley on Sept 24. and won 3-0, with all three goals coming from sophomore Natalie Pfleger. 

“It felt awesome to have three goals,” she said. “When I scored the first one it was so cool to hear everyone cheer for me.”

In another preseason game on Sept. 26, the team was defeated by Beaverton. While a 0-3 loss was not the outcome they had hoped for, they used it as a way to learn from their mistakes. 

“We had a meeting about our goals and what we need to work on both together as a team, and as individual players,” freshman Rhyan Mogel said. 

The team consists of one senior, five juniors, five sophomores, and four freshmen. Even though they are made up of mostly underclassmen, sophomore Kate Collins believes that the younger influence is motivating. “With a young team, everybody works just as hard,” she said. 

Many of the team’s members commented on the positive chemistry they share. “We’re definitely closer than we have been the past two years,” Greenslade said. “We’re all friends on and off the field which makes it easier to play with one another.”

Head coach Scot Rothery said that the team is on the same page about a lot of things and have been working well together. “[They’re] a lot stronger this year,” he said.

This is Rothery’s third year of coaching the varsity team. “[They’re] probably the best team that I’ve coached as far, as attitudes go,” he said. 

Senior Morgan Nebels and Greenslade were selected as this year’s captains. Rothery said that they were both right for the position. “It was a pretty easy decision,” he said.

“They make sure everybody understands that they’re on the team for a reason and help build people’s confidence,” Collins said. 

Last Tuesday, Oct. 1, the team traveled to Lake Oswego. It wasn’t the outcome that they expected, losing 1-6, but similar to their previous loss against Hood River, they’re using this as motivation for the remainder of the season.

“We learned that we are going to have tough competition this season,” Pfleger said. “We are all going to have to give our best effort and hold each other accountable.”

Tonight, Wednesday Oct. 9, the team is facing Hillsboro on the road. Stay tuned to The Falconer’s Twitter for an update on the final score.