Fresh on the heels of postseason runs for the University of Arizona’s women’s basketball and softball teams, two Southern Arizona girls’ soccer teams are kicking it up a notch and bringing some serious heat to the field this season.
The Real Salt Lake AZ-Southern Arizona 06 (U15) and 08 (U13) girls’ soccer teams are headed to Boise, Idaho, to compete in the U.S. Youth Soccer Far West Regional Championships for the first time. If the teams advance past the three days of group play that begins Monday, they will compete in the quarterfinals. The finals are June 27.
Currently, the RSL-AZ Southern Arizona 06 team is ranked No. 1 in the nation, while the 08 team is ranked No. 3.
The 06 and 08 teams competed and won the Arizona State Championships in their respective groups during the Arizona State Cup in May. The 06 team defeated defending state champion FC Tucson, 3-0.
Despite the high national rankings and state championship title, coach Paul DesRosier, says his teams’ goals are more than just rankings and titles.
“Each of these girls has their own goal as to what they want to get out of soccer,” DesRosier said. “We have a high concentration of players who have an elite mentality and they want to play at the next level, whether that be high school varsity or collegiately and maybe some even professionally, but it’s really not why we do what we do. It is a byproduct of what we do. We’re really concentrating on developing better people.”
As part of helping the girls achieve their on-the-field goals, DesRosier has the teams participate in a group activity where each player writes down a goal on an index card, crumples up the card and then places it inside one of their socks beneath their shin guard. The goals have ranged from “not concede any goals in a game” to “I want to play for the U.S. Women’s National Team,” DesRosier said.
The purpose behind the goal activity is to allow the players to feel their goals. “They know they’re there and they never forget about them,” he said. “And it gives them something more actionable and smaller to achieve.”
Coach Paul DesRosier gives one his players a fist bump as she comes off the field during a June 9 practice.
DesRosier says he breaks the traditional methods, where players are encouraged to only win games, by using a practical form of coaching that helps players work in teams, overcome adversity and develop their analytical and communication skills. He says this coaching style differs from other teams in the region.
One trait the girls don’t need to be coached on? Passion.
When 08 team defender Mandy Tran fell and broke her right wrist in the final 10 minutes of the Arizona State Championships last month, it didn’t stop the 12-year-old from continuing to play the game while her wrist healed.
Although her doctor told her not to play while healing, she credits her passion for soccer and her teammates for motivating her to keep playing — even when times get tough.
“Even though I’m hurt or something, I think of them and think ‘I need to keep playing.’ I just don’t want to let anyone down,” Tran said.
The passion from players on both teams never faltered, even when COVID-19 restrictions threatened to cut their season, says Anjeli DesRosier, a midfielder for the 06 team. During the months of being unable to play, the players continued to train individually throughout the week by doing sprinting exercises in their neighborhoods. Then, on Fridays, the teams met on Zoom to catch up and watch Manchester United highlights.
When the moment presented itself to play on the fields once again, the teams made sure they were safely following newly set COVID-19 protocols to ensure that they wouldn’t lose their field privileges.
“It was kind of weird, you know, playing with masks and gaiters on, it kind of made everything a little bit harder,” Anjeli DesRosier said. “But once we started getting into it, we got more comfortable. We had to make sure that we were always wearing masks on the field, or else we could lose it for the whole year. We had to keep certain standards to be able to do the things that we love to do.”
The girls will continue their weekly training sessions until they leave for Idaho on Friday.
Luz Mendoza, left, jostles with Katherine Presnall during a full field workout of the RSL-Southern Arizona Girls U13 and U 15 teams.
“I can’t wait to see these teams and these players competing against regional champions, teams that have reached the same level (RSL-AZ Southern Arizona) have in their own respective states,” Paul DesRosier said. “I’m most excited to just see what they can put together as a group.”
On the 08 team, Tran is most looking forward to seeing the potato fields of Idaho because, after all, “Idaho is called the potato state and it just sounds fun,” she said.
While Anjeli DesRosier is excited to play her best and represent her community, she also hopes to make a name for Tucson at the regional championships.
“In a world that’s so divided and so focused on negatives and things that are wrong, there’s so much right with our young women,” Paul DesRosier said. “And these girls are a perfect case study in hard work, in doing things the right way, in taking no shortcuts and achieving their dreams.”
