The Pleasant Valley Girls Soccer Team starts the season with a strong preseason record, team bonding, and team improvement.

This preseason, the Varsity Girl’s Soccer team won the Winter Classic Soccer Tournament in December with a score of 1-0 against Shasta High School. 

Varsity Coach Erik Snedeker is proud to say that their “preseason record is 5 [wins], 2 [losses], 1 [tie]” and that their two losses “were from playing two strong teams from the Sacramento area.” Coach Snedeker also states that he wants the PV Girl’s Soccer team to be challenged in the preseason, in order to see their “strengths and weaknesses.” Coach Snedeker says that preseason allows him to “experiment with players in different positions” in order to “find the top players and set the ‘system’ of play based on the players’ abilities.” These tactics have improved the team from the preseason. 

Sophomore Soccer Player, Clara Gampel, says that team bonding is one of the most exciting parts of the season. These team bonding activities included, “team dinners and sleepovers” which are “a lot of fun,” according to Gampel. Gampel also says that she “looks up to every single one of those girls” and the team “is really solid in terms of the level of play and quality of spirit.”

Coach Snedeker states that the team starts bonding when the “players get to know each other on the field” which is done through team drills. The coach also encourages players to do things off the field like “social events, team meals, sleepovers, picnics, etc.” In addition to team bonding, PV’s Varsity Girls Soccer Team has a traditional side tournament called Little Wimbly. Little Wimblye is a 3 vs. 3 player on a small field in mud. This tournament has no rules, no fouls, and anything goes. According to Snedeker, “Little Wimbly builds team bonding and  chemistry.”