Ben Gibbons
Sports Editor
Mira Costa girls soccer players are taking on the challenge of pursuing academy-level soccer over high school soccer.
This year, the Mira Costa girls soccer program lost a majority of their seniors to academy soccer clubs, leaving them with only four seniors out of about 12 from last year. Academy teams typically practice around four times a week year-round, making it impossible to play high school soccer as well as academy.
“Many of the girls we lost would have loved to play for the high school team, especially since it is mostly seniors missing out on opportunity to play their last year at Costa,” senior Jamie Averch said.
Academy-level club teams are the best teams for being recruited for collegiate soccer teams because it is the highest level of soccer for high school girls. Mostly seniors choose to play at the academy-level in order to commit to a university for soccer. Many Southern California club soccer teams are transferring to the academy-level, making it difficult for girls who want to be recruited to play for their high school team.
“It’s hard for everyone when we have to lose so many close friends and teammates, but we all understand their goals and hope for the best for all the girls,” Averch said.
The girls varsity team is currently 6-0 despite missing most of their seniors. Their team is composed of mostly sophomores and juniors, with the few seniors leading the program.
“It’s a shame to lose so many talented players, but I think that our current team has potential to do well this season,” Averch said.
The girls only lost two current juniors but also lost four current sophomores. While the current roster was heavily impacted this year, next year they will not lose so many players because the transition was mainly this year for all ages.
“Hopefully some of the players will come back next year, but if not, the girls will have to keep practicing hard to make up for the lost talent,” Averch said.
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