Looking to turn heads with a much improved season, the girls’ soccer team has a new look: a brand new district with an experienced new head coach.
The team opened up their first district game with an 8-0 win against Brackenridge at the Blossom Athletic Center on Tuesday, Jan. 17. The team controlled the ball from kickoff, and never looked back, with senior Delanie Dehoyos scoring a goal within the first minute of the game.
“We did really good, I’m proud,” Dehoyos said. “We got eight goals in. Almost everyone scored.”
The team scored seven goals in the first half, and controlled the pace of the game for the entire second half, adding one more goal in the process. That final goal was scored by sophomore Olivia Arnatt for her third goal of the game.
“Brackenridge wasn’t really a tough team, and I really wanted to get a hat trick,” Arnatt said. “I went in at the last minute to get it.”
One game that the team seems to have marked on their calendar for the season is the matchup on Jan. 27 against Jefferson, and it’s for a special reason.
“I’m looking forward to the Jefferson game because [Coach Esquivel], our coach, he’s new here, and he used to coach at Jefferson,” Arnatt said.
This is Coach Esquivel’s first season coaching at the school, following his tenure at Jefferson in which he won three district titles. With his past success, Coach has high expectations for the team in the near future.
“We set our standards high, [our goal is to] win district,” Esquivel said. “Obviously to win district, there’s a lot of things that need to be improved, a lot of things that need to happen between now and then. We have to contend with the likes of Jefferson and Alamo Heights. We can’t just show up to the field and expect to win games.”
The program hasn’t had much playoff success in recent seasons, but Esquivel is excited to take on the challenge and make the playoffs.
“They are really learning that it’s not just about kicking and running and chasing the ball, so I’m challenging them physically, mentally, psychologically, technically, tactically,” Esquivel said. “They have to learn, it’s not just go out there and play. There’s a system of play, and I’m ecstatic that most of these girls are hungry. They’re eager to learn and they’re eager to be successful.”
