Key to Success: Redwood Girl’s Soccer Program

By: Krissy Hetherington

Season after season, Redwood athletics are known to dominate, and girl’s soccer is no exception, triumphing again this year. 

The team outright won the West Yosemite League Championship this season and finished 19-4-2 overall and 10-0 in league. From the outside, it might seem easy to be one of the most successful athletic programs on campus. But there’s much more that goes on than simply dominating on the field. 

The magic of Redwood’s Girl’s Soccer comes from a strong record, both in league and Valley-wide matches, exceptional players who bring a variety of talents and a devoted coach who goes above and beyond for his team. 

“When the girls get here they are really good at buying into what the program is all about,” said Jason Vieira, long-time head coach of the girl’s soccer team. 

Vieira said part of his team’s success is encouraging an atmosphere of competitiveness and continuing their fight to prove that Redwood is the best team in the Valley.

“I think we’re so dominant year after year because of the confidence we have in each other. I think this confidence comes from Vieira as he completely believes in each of our abilities no matter what,” said Evan House, ’20.

History and statistics

Redwood girls soccer is strong every season, but 2017 was special. The team won DII Valley Championship for the first time since 2003.

The team was admitted into DI playoffs since then and continue to participate in Bakersfield and Clovis tournaments to prepare themselves for the post-season.

Each year, the team has two simple goals: Win WYL. Win Valley. 

This season, Redwood’s 23 varsity players secured their 9th WYL title, but remained focused on their road to Valley.  Vieira regrets not celebrating the accomplishment enough.

“We knew we had the team to win a Valley Championship so all we did was focus on that goal but I should’ve taken more time for the kids to appreciate that victory,” Vieira said. “We’ve done it a lot but it’s not easy. There’s a lot of teams on campus that would’ve killed to win their League and there are five other high schools who would’ve gone nuts to win the soccer League title.”

Unfortunately, the Rangers fell short of their goal this season. They lost to Clovis during the quarter-finals of the Central Section playoffs 2-0 in mid-February.  

That loss aside, the team’s stats show how the girls dominate. This season, Redwood finished with 83 goals scored and only 20 goals against, at 44-4 in league. They averaged at least 13.5 shots on goal and had 12 shut-out wins.

Overflowing with Talent

Every fall, a new batch of girls fill Redwood’s soccer field and try for one of the few coveted spots on the team, making tryouts harder and harder. Roughly 80 girls show up for two weeks of conditioning for the chance to be one of 20 players to wear a Redwood varsity jersey.

Vieira said he agonizes over filling his roster every year, and the cuts he has to make to get there.

“Knowing that my decision causes a teenager pain, that’s hard. I lose sleep at night going over final rosters and playing time,” Vieira said. “You always just try to make the best decision you can and remove emotion from it, make it based on who is the most deserving in terms of their effort and athletic abilities then just hope you made the best decision.”

Vieira’s passion for this program and sport is evident in every aspect of his coaching style. His mentality for all his players is “constant growth” and that there’s always a chance to improve and learn more.

Many of Redwood’s players have taken their skills beyond high school to play at the college level. 

Evan House, ’20, will be playing at Long Beach State next year and led the team and league in goals scored, finishing the season with a total of 32. She played for Vieira for three years, and has grown as an athlete under his coaching.

“Playing for Vieira has helped me be prepared for the next level by becoming more confident in my abilities,” House said. “I train year round, and I grow skill-wise mostly during club soccer season. But high school soccer, especially playing under Vieira, has taught me to walk on the field and own it because you’re capable of whatever you set your mind to.”

Jill Nelsen, ’19, was a part of that 2017 Valley Championship team and was a four-year varsity athlete. She currently plays at Cal State East Bay and was named the 2017 WYL Co-MVP. She comes to visit the team and her alma mater often and believes strongly in what the program stands for.

“I learned competitiveness and leadership [and] that everything is a process and you are going to have those ups and downs here and there and that’s okay. I learned a mentality that’s gonna stick with me for life and that’s to have the mindset of winning and determination,” Nelsen said.

This year, the team will be losing 10 passionate and strong leaders. In an open letter, Vieira expressed his admiration for these seniors and their growth over the last four years. 

Younger players said the team continues to become a tight-knit family, growing together as players and people. Sydney Somavia, ‘21, said the team’s tight bond is clear on the field, and it’ll be hard to replace the level of play this year’s seniors brought to the game. 

“The fact that this was our last year with the seniors and that there’s so many of them, really encouraged us to push ourselves to the limit as well as enjoy every second we spent together,” Somavia said. “We’d played together for so long and gotten to know how each person played, that in the game we just had a flow that you don’t see very often.” 

But moving forward, the team is not short on talent. Some key players that will be returning next year are goalie, Olivia Saenez, ’23, defender, Kelsey Konishi, ’21, and midfielder Somavia.

Recently, eight players received honors and titles for their league performances this season:

• WYL MVP- Evan House, ’20, Forward
• WYL Offensive Player of the Year, Ashley Wainwright, ’20, Forward
• First Team WYL- Sydney Somavia, ’21, Midfielder, Payton Basso, ’20, Defender
• Second Team WYL- Kelsey Konishi, ’21, Defender, Savanna Saesee, ’20, Midfielder
• Honorable Mentions- Gabby Bridges, ’20, Defender, Marisa Perez, ’20, Forward

The “Chameleon” Coach

Vieira is the other key component to Redwood’s success. He has been varsity head coach for nine years, with an overall record of 170-50-16 and 96-6-2 in league. Since he’s been with the team, he has won WYL each year. He’s taken two trips to the Central Section Championship, and won in 2017.

Vieira stands out as a coach at a school filled with greats. He pushes his athletes to be the best, telling them there’s no such thing as glory days, he’s strategic with his criticism, understanding that every player is at a different level, and he doesn’t believe in yelling. 

“Vieira is such a strong coach and leader because he knows how to be a friend but also establishes his position as the coach…We all feel comfortable talking to him about anything, but when it comes time to practice we all listen to what he has to say because we have respect for him.” 

Evan House, ’20

As Vieira carefully builds his team each season, he not only seeks great athletes, but players with good attitudes on and off the field, Somavia said. Vieira, who also teaches U.S. History at Redwood, has a personality that makes for a great leader. 

“You see it throughout his life, for instance, within his classroom. His characteristics there definitely translate into coaching, but I feel like the thing that makes him such a role model is that he listens,” Somavia said. “He takes our input and applies it where it’s needed. That’s something that’s really helped us become the team we are.” 

Unlike football season, it’s harder to rally student participation and support at soccer games during the winter, especially when the games run long and the weather is unpleasant. 

“A lot of what they do, they have to do because they have a passion and desire to be the best even if nobody is watching … So my number one thing is for them to be self-motivated,” Vieira said.

Every coach is different in the way they approach their players but yelling at the girls has never been an option for Vieira.

“I just try to be myself when I coach … I’m always honest and when they’re doing something wrong or playing bad, I tell them, I don’t think I have to raise my voice to get the same results as yelling at them on the field … I don’t have a philosophy on that I just am who I am.”

Head Coach, Jason Vieira