They were nervous. Rightfully so.
It’s 2006. The newest members of the Forest Grove varsity soccer team were 14. There were nine of them. All swallowing loudly, biting their nails and re-wrapping their ponytails every five minutes. They were 90 days removed from middle school.
They were getting ready to play against girls who could vote, girls who could smoke, gamble and go to the ‘adult’ video stores. They weren’t getting ready to play girls, they were preparing to play women. And as they laced up their cleats before a game against Tualatin they eagerly listened to the team leaders.
“By the way,” the team captains said. “We’re going to get creamed today.”
In 2009, Natalie Hymes, a senior and team captain for the Forest Grove girls soccer team, snapped back to reality, “We lost something like 9-0 that game.”
Of course, Hymes and the rest of the Vikings girls soccer team can reminisce about years past now. The 10 seniors finished their careers with more than 400 combined career varsity starts. They leave the program after an unprecedented 14-2-1 finish. They beat Newberg for the first time in eight years, Tigard for the first time in 20 years, and beat Tualatin for the first time ever.
They leave the program acknowledging it was a long time cometh.
“A lot of us thought that we should be making the playoffs.” Hymes said. “Every year we always seemed to be missing some aspect of the game. There was always glimpses of ‘oh man, we could be in the playoffs’ but it never clicked until this season.”
Senior Dulce Salinas-Suarez chimed in: “It almost felt like, until this year, we didn’t fully trust each other on the field.”
Trust, on the field, tends to be more logical than emotional. Almost like subconscious algorithms. Inside the lines, it’s about assessing situations, calculating different outcomes and, based on past experiences, predicting future behaviors. Slowly building until an ‘ah-ha’ moment is reached.
That moment surfaced early in the season. The Vikings started the season 4-0 and outscored opponents 26-1.
“It was easy to coach these girls because they knew each other so well,” coach Dennis Chang said. “On the field they were so familiar with how each person played. Off the field a lot of them were good friends. Having that type of camaraderie it made my job easier.”
Said Brandi Dawson: “A lot of us have have been playing together since we were in third grade or from fifth grade club soccer. And this year, the stage was set for us.”
Six years without a playoff appearance and a new coach – to most people that doesn’t sound terribly promising. But, to the group 10 seniors, they were ready for success.
“When these girls were freshman,” coach Dennis Chang said. “The seniors at the time had the attitude of ‘oh, we’re going to get killed by this team today’ and the girls [inherited] that attitude. It was interesting trying to convince the girls that a positive attitude is essential.
“At first they didn’t know what to make of me. I had all of this optimism and they had never made the playoffs. But I think they lacked that mental toughness that came with that optimism.”
Chang’s positive attitude was the foundation of the incredible turnaround this season for the Vikings. The team posted more wins this season than in the past three seasons combined. This senior class won more conference games this season than any season dating back past 1980.
“Coach Chang had a lot to do with our turnaround,” Salinas-Suarez said.
Chang was the team’s third coach in four years. He pushed the girls to have fun every day, whether it be at practice or in a game. It was important that this season be a very positive experience.
“When I first showed up,” Chang said. “I saw that typical attitude of ‘oh I screwed up’ and I would visibly see the shoulder slump, the head hanging. And [I said] you need to forget it and you need to move on because hanging you head doesn’t help your teammates. I think I helped them become more mentally tough.”
It didn’t take long for Chang to win over his new team.
“We were all pretty nervous to have a new coach,” senior McKenzie Mason said. “We all looked at each other thinking, ‘oh man, our senior year, again’ but obviously it turned well. I think it all started at our beach trip.”
The girls took a trip to the coast before he season started. It wasn’t about soccer. It was about getting to know teammates better. Team building and bonding. A lot of talking and a lot of fun. They played “Mafia” and went shopping. They cooled off in a tide-pool, made a campfire and they did what all high school girls do best: they hung out.
“We’re a silly group,” Hymes said. “We really like to have fun. But when we were freshman, sophomores and juniors we looked up to the seniors and they were looking down at us saying, ‘you need to stop’ so it was hard. This year, we got the chance to set the mood. And it got more fun after every win.”
The fifth conference win of the season may have been the sweetest. The Vikings beat Tualatin 4-1 at home. The game featured a handful of heroics. Dawson scored two goals in less than a minute, senior Denis Cazares finished the game despite an injury and Rebecca Kelsay scored a goal from nearly 40-yards out. The win put the team’s record at 10-1.
“When we beat Tualatin 4-1, it was a wow feeling,” Hymes said.
The win gave the group of seniors more conference wins (5) in 2009 than they had experienced over the last three seasons combined. It also guaranteed the team a spot in the playoffs and got them recognized by ESPN as the second best team in the state.
“It meant a lot to get to the playoffs because we are such a great group of friends,” said Dawson who recently verbally committed to play at Oregon State next fall.
The Vikings finished the regular season 13-1-1 and beat Central Catholic 2-1 in overtime in the first round of the playoffs. Three days later, though, their season would end after a 1-0 loss at Lakeridge.
“[It’s] a great question,” Chang said. “Where did this all come from? I think it was the combination of the motivated seniors who have a lot of talent and a lot of leadership qualities – it was the perfect storm.”
Taylor McCahon summed it up: “The reason this year was more fun – we were successful. We are all very competitive people. The change in attitude [helped] too, we were all working toward the same goal and working together as a team.”
Leave a Reply