The UHSSE girls’ soccer team, a co-op with Classical Magnet and University High School, is starting fresh this fall under new head coach Jordyn Ferraro in her first year leading the program. With a mix of returning players and new energy, the team is focused on building skills, teamwork, and confidence as the season begins.
Coach Jordyn shared what she’s seen from her players so far. “So far, I think that the biggest strength this team has shown and I do think maybe it could change over the course of a season but in basically mid to early season I would say the biggest strength this team has shown [is] their willingness to show up the next day. So yes, we can have a hard day on Monday, but we’re gonna show up on Tuesday and that shows resilience and perseverance and I think that’s a really big strength of each one of the girls and us as a team together.”
While there is excitement, there are also hurdles. The roster is on the smaller side, which can make practices and games challenging. Still, the team refuses to let that define them. “One of the challenges is that this team… don’t exactly have big numbers and I know that like it’s pretty obvious and I think we feel the challenges of that throughout the games throughout the practices. But I think we overcome it by kind of just sucking it up and like showing our strength and our perseverance again… we know we’re there to do a job and we do it. No matter if we have 100 people or 10 people, sometimes even when we’re playing we need 11.”
Despite the challenges, signs of growth are already clear. Coach Jordyn explained, “I think we’ve grown technically since the beginning of the season. I’ve seen people get better with their touches, with their skills, and I also think we’ve come to understand the game a little bit better since [the] beginning of season… Yes, we still have a ways to go but I can appreciate that…are able to comprehend what I’m trying to teach you guys.”
Like any competitor the focus is on winning, but it’s also on building a team culture that pushes their players to be their best. “My hopes are that this season I wanna win — at the end of day I wanna win and I wanna have a winning record,” she said.
Even though there have already been some tough losses, the players continue to put in their best effort and show up every day ready to improve. Their termination and perseverance get plenty of reasons to believe that their success —both in games and in growth— is still within reach.
