Girls JV Soccer: Alyssa Sachs

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Written by Savannah Esquivel

Friday, 25 December 2009 20:02

Sophomore and JV girls soccer captain Alyssa Sachs answers our questions on her responsibilities and goals.

1. What position do you play?

I play sweeper, which is the last defender before the goalie.

2. What was your reaction to finding out you were captain?

I was kind of surprised. Before our warm up for the Anaheim game (which was cancelled) the coach gathered us all together and told us that she was going to name two captains. When she said my name, she mixed up my last name with a previous player, and once it was all cleared up and I was positive she was talking about me, I was really happy about being captain.

3. How does it feel to be partly in charge of your teammates?

It feels nerve-wracking. I think it makes me feel more responsible and stronger as a player because I’m acting as a type of role model being captain. But having my teammates look to me for help and leadership makes me scared of messing up and letting the team down. It goes both ways and I hope I get better at it.

4. What contributions do you provide to the team?

One of the reasons why the coach made me captain was because I can communicate well with my teammates. Being in the back as sweeper, I can see everyone’s positions and when someone isn’t marking a player or is out of position, I basically talk to them to get them where they need to be. I’m kind of loud and really talkative, so that helps too sometimes. Also, since I played last year and have played for a few years, I have some experience to bring to the table that helps other players out with different things.

5. What are your goals for the season?

Two of my personal goals are to be a sort of role model on the field and to improve at my position, which is new to me this year, and help contribute to the team in the biggest way possible: not letting in goals. Part of achieving this is being stronger and more aggressive on defense. A team goal of mine is to reach a point where we can communicate well on the field and connect our passes/apply basic skills. This way, we’ll be able to score more goals and have better results. Overall, I just want the team to improve.

6. How does this year’s JV team differ from last year?

Well we don’t have any seniors this year and a lot of freshmen, which is basically the opposite of last year. The freshmen bring a lot of enthusiasm and want to contribute to the success of the team.

7. What is one thing you can improve on as an individual? As a team?

As an individual I need to improve on my speed and free/goal kicking ability. Since I’m sweeper, I’m responsible for all the goal kicks, and since my kicking isn’t that strong, I could help out the team by gaining more distance and power in my kicks. As a team, we can improve on our basic skills and passing, which in a game situation would lead to more offensive plays.

8. Why soccer? Why not another sport?

Soccer is the only sport I really know how to play. I just get it. I started after my sister did a few years ago, and it was something fun that I loved to do. Like hula, it just clicked for me. Something about playing on a field and learning how to dribble, handle the ball, and kick fairly well got me hooked on the sport. Soccer brightens my day; it’s physically and mentally demanding, which makes it perfect for me.

9. You dance hula. How does hula compare to soccer?

Hula is really graceful and often times slow, making it a lot different compared to soccer. For the past two months, I’ve had hula practice right after soccer practices, and it seemed like such a huge transition. In soccer you’re supposed to be aggressive and strong; in hula, you need to know how to let go, relax, and be gentle with your movements. I guess one thing they have in comparison is leg strength. In hula, you need to have a lot of leg strength and endurance, which helps me in soccer with overall conditioning.

10. A totally random question: What is your favorite color?

My favorite color is blue. 