Last Thursday was a regular school day for most students, but for defender Kate Conway (11), it was another electric game day on the girls soccer team (13-3-3). Along with the rest of the team, she prepared to face the Rancho Buena Vista High School Longhorns (7-8-2); her game-day mindset began the moment she woke up.
Conway’s preparation starts long before warmups. As she jams out to Someone New by Arden Jones, she grabs an orange or banana and makes sure to have plenty of water. Conway tries to stay busy throughout the day so her mindset can remain distracted until game time.
Over the course of the school day, Conway focuses on maintaining a sustainable, healthy and mindful approach to handling game-day pressure.
“Before a game, I always keep the conversations in my head positive,” Conway said. “I like to focus on my breathing when I am stressed.”
Goalkeeper Natalie Cohen (12) explains that the team “bonds before big games by going out for team lunch.”
When it is game time, the girls soccer team gathers in the team room, tying unique hairstyles and enjoying popular music.
For Conway, one tradition stands out for her. Before each game, Kate and teammates Chiara Ammirati (12) and Ava Guimmond (10) tie a pink bow in their hair, a small but meaningful ritual. Similarly, Cohen has her own pregame routine.
“I usually get my hair braided from my friends,” Cohen said. “It is our pregame ritual.”
Before warmup, the team celebrated senior night. Recognizing all 17 seniors: Chiara Ammirati (12), Siena Baker (12), Sophia Bastidos (12), Emilia Biebel (12), Mckenzie Brown (12), Arya Cheema (12), Gianna Cho (12), Natalie Cohen (12), Maria Egorov (12), Nadia Erkam (12), Lauren Golafshan (12), Madison Harrel (12), Lily Hishmeh (12), Sami Huyghe (12), Tori Horton (12), Kylie Okumura (12) and Lila Wagner (12) by having players walk out on the field accompanied by their families.
As the team steps on the field for an active warmup, varsity girls soccer head coach Martyn Hansford mentally prepares his team with assistant coach Pamela Kalinosky by giving a pep talk before the game.
“[Pam’s] very good with the mental aspect of the sport,” Hansford said. “She did a mindset session at the game yesterday.”
The team focuses on their “camaraderie and chemistry, making sure the players see each other as people, rather than just players,” according to Hansford.
As the team starts warming up an hour before the game, Hansford likes to have a variety of drills that the players practice on each game day.
“Too much routine is not always a good thing,” Hansford said. “We’ll change some of the activities, but always start with some dynamic movement and stretching to make sure the bodies are ready.”
Hansford effectively implements the idea of “accountability partners,” which means that each player on the team has a partner that they can rely on for accountability throughout the game, rather than Hansford telling his players what to do.
“Every player on the team has someone else on the team that’s there for their support,” Hansford said.
She explains the active role of a pair of players meeting before high-pressure situations.
“Last year we had a penalty shootout in the quarter final state,” Hansford said. “I had the accountability partners go meet them as they returned, whether they scored or missed.”
Hansford describes his coaching style as “guided discovery,” as he believes that being less hands-on during games can increase the team’s success rate.
“Rather than telling someone what they have done wrong or what they could have done, you want them to understand and help them along with their understanding to reflect,” Hansford said.
The team won, scoring 3-0 against Rancho Buena Vista High School at Ed Burke Field. Lilah Hershey (11), Gianna Cho (12) and Mckenzie Brown (12) scored.
Hansford places captains in leadership roles during games to reduce distractions that may be caused by his interfering with his players and offer better communication among the players on the field.
“We generally find that … the captains are comfortable communicators on the field,” Hansford said. “We’ll talk to them, hopefully try and help them make changes and adjustments.”
With the help of Hansford, assistant coach Matt Rosendo and the players, the team was led to victory. Afterwards, the team headed to Chipotle to celebrate their win.
“It’s not life or death,” Hansford said. “[The games] are important and you want them to break the challenge, but it’s really a case of enjoying it. Embrace the moment and enjoy yourselves.”
