“Most of the girls are still young — they still have much to learn,” said Coach Alvin Valdez about the girls varsity soccer team. “Just imagine how good they’ll all be by junior year.”

The varsity team shows a lot of promise even though they have only won three games so far. As of Oct. 6, their record was 3-12 overall and 0-5 in district.

According to Coach Valdez, the defenders and forwards are strong. The team has only one senior, co-captain Tori McKinney, who plays defense. The other captain, Valencya Valdez, is a freshman who also plays defense. Other standout players include Cassie Mazulis, a mid-fielder, and Haley Ammerman, a forward.

Ray Salazar is the assistant coach for both the varsity and JV teams. “It’s a new experience for me,” he said. “While [the players] are learning, so am I.” He said his priority is to teach the team the fundamentals of the game.

Estrella Flores coaches the JV team.

Like Coach Alvin’s observation about the varsity team, Coach Ray believes that the JV team’s only weakness is their inexperience. At the same time, he said, they are “more than willing to learn and improve.”

Phoenix Shayne, one of the JV players, said the team just has to “support each other a little more and focus on communication during the games.”

Captains Alexis Garcia and Alyssa Bernal work to keep the girls motivated during the games, making sure they always “play like it’s 0-0.”

Coach Alvin says he sees a bright future ahead for Demonette soccer: “We’re going to be a beast team.”