Ever since Gladys Mondragon took over the program in 2005, the Watsonville High girls’ soccer team has been consistently showing up to compete.
This season should be no different.
“I think that we have the players to defend, we have the players to attack,” she said. “Just allow them to see that and give them the opportunity for them to feel confident and to connect. I think that it’s going to be awesome to see the end result.”
However, the Wildcatz are off to another rocky start following a 2-1 loss to Harbor High in non-league action Dec. 7.
Watsonville (1-2-1) has lost two straight, but senior Anely Flores said they’re still trying to mesh as a team. Especially with all the new players coming in and missing a few to start the 2023-24 campaign.
Last season, the Wildcatz got off to a slow start and it took them about midway through the year to actually start winning games. Flores said they put in some extra work in the offseason where now they made sure to start off strong from the bat.
“And really started to work not just individually but also as a team to make sure we could really show what we really got here,” Flores said.
Mondragon said they’ll continue to fix the small details as far as the tactical part, and what their philosophy is going to be for the rest of the season.
“It’s a really nice group,” Mondragon said. “They see the offensive side of it. They see how they could transition and attack, and they’re taking the opportunity and that’s what you want to see from players.”
One particular thing Mondragon noticed is players taking initiative to be on the pitch and not being afraid to shoot the ball, which was one of Watsonville’s downfalls last season.
“We just have to excel on that and keep pushing towards that and and give them that confidence that they could do it,” she said. “It doesn’t matter what team it is, just give it a shot.”
Flores also mentioned that a majority of the girls were more hesitant to pull the trigger. This year’s group is much more dedicated, practicing five times a week and everyone shows up whether it’s in the morning, afternoon or evening.
“Not only showing up but also putting 100% at practice, putting in effort, giving it your all and taking advice from the coach’s criticism,” she said.
Mondragon believes they have a well-balanced group with a mix of upper and underclassmen. The younger players are hungry to play, while the older bunch want to take the initiative and the ownership that they can lead the team.
However, the longtime coach will still rely on the seasoned veterans such as Flores, Destiny Astorga and Aubreana Rodriguez to be the coaches on the pitch.
“We are their guidance, but they’re the ones that take over and they’re the ones that should be leading it,” Mondragon said.
The underclassmen will be led by standout freshman Jackeline Cano, who scored a goal in Watsonville’s 5-1 win over cross-town rival Pajaro Valley on Nov. 28. She has quickly adjusted to the speed and is already making an impact.
“To be honest, it hasn’t been that difficult, but it’s nice knowing that I made the varsity team, it’s an accomplishment,” she said.
Mondragon said the energy and intensity each player brings gives them strength in every channel on the pitch from having a group of strong defenders, creativity in the middle and some aggressiveness from the forwards.
“Putting it all together, allowing them to mesh very well and to support each other,” Mondragon said. “One of the things that we talked about is playing for the team and as a team, and that’s gonna be our thing for the season.”
Watsonville is coming off a season where it finished with a 3-9-6 overall record and went 3-4-5 in Pacific Coast Athletic League Gabilan Division play in 2022-23.
It wasn’t quite the outcome Mondragon hoped for but she reminded the players that they’re in the Gabilan because it’s a merit to be in one of the toughest leagues in the section.
“We put work in and we establish to at least keep up with the more competitive teams within the division,” she said. “If we would have started the way we ended it would have been a different team and we would have made some damage, probably even made it to the playoffs.”
So far, the ‘Catz are playing a strong preseason schedule with games against Monte Vista Christian, Harbor, Santa Cruz, Aptos and Scotts Valley.
Watsonville will transition right away into the PCAL Gabilan Division portion of its schedule, starting with the league opener at Rancho San Juan High on Jan. 3 at 5:45pm.
Flores said they’re confident enough to be the best in the division and make a push into the Central Coast Section playoffs.
“We want to take it game by game but at the same time, we’re looking at long term, making CCS and showing how good we really are here in Watsonville,” Flores said.
