The Barstow girls soccer team is ramping up their season with more players and more practices. This year, the team has enough girls to split up into two teams, one being varsity while the other being junior varsity.

“The team is looking very strong and I am liking the progress we are making. We have a lot of underclassmen on the team this year so it should be a fun season with the team chemistry that we have. I have not experienced having this many people on the team and this is the first year that we are able to have a junior varsity team, which I am excited about,” said senior Avisha Pandey ‘22.

When Pandey ‘22 was also asked about what she is looking forward to this season, she stated, “people like Lasya Maganti ‘24 and Maddie Bauman ‘22 keep the team spirit alive and practices are really fun. We are looking forward to our first game after spring break and we hope to be ready by then. I hope to finish the season strong, especially since this is my last year at barstow. We just want to have fun with this season and hopefully if we are good enough, we will make it to districts or even state.” 

Soccer team captain Maddie Bauman ‘22 was also feeling positive about this year’s team, saying, “In practice we have been working on the system and how to work as a team. In high school everyone plays a lot faster so it is important to know how the team is supposed to move in unison.”

Bauman ‘22 also spoke to the higher numbers, noting, “The team is looking really good and we have a lot of new players and a lot more girls than in years past. In years past there were games where we had no subs so to have around 22 girls is really exciting because it adds diversity and the ability to tailor the lineup based on the strategy to match up against different teams. 

Echoing Pandey ‘22’s comments about the team’s chemistry, Bauman ‘22 said, “Everyone has been getting along well and we are looking forward to our Saint Louis trip in the beginning of April. It will be a good bonding experience and hopefully bring the team even closer together. I am sad that this is my last season at Barstow but I would not want to end my soccer career with any other group. It has been so fun and I am looking forward to the season.”

Manager Maxwell Parr ‘22 noted that the team’s younger players will be the focus of a lot of improvements during the season. He notes, “we have a lot of new talent this year which means we have a lot of potential. It is still really early on in the season, but since there are a lot of inexperienced players on the team, there is bound to be a learning curve.”

Parr ‘22 had some thoughts about the team’s specific areas for improvement, saying, “Right now I think the girls mostly need to work on passing the ball and making the right decisions, but that comes with time and dedication. For me personally, the hardest part of playing soccer is learning coach Scott Huppe’s system, but once they figure it out,they will be ready to crush their opponents.”

The Barstow Girls Soccer team has a lot to be excited about this year. Check out the team’s schedule and come to the games to cheer them on!