As the whistle blew and the San Rafael Bulldogs kicked it off, the Bulldogs stated their presence right away. What started with an entry from freshman Ryder Higgins-Jones to senior captain Arlin Guzman quickly developed into a fast break opportunity paved for sophomore Jaela Brown. Dribbling out to her right, Brown caught an opening and her shot, deflected by the keeper, rebounded back to her feet where she found Higgins-Jones on a cross for an impressive goal. This execution, near picture perfect, had moved the Bulldogs in front of the Panthers of San Domenico, all in the first minute.
Mirabelle Szilagyi, the other senior captain for the Bulldogs, highlighted this moment as a momentum changer, as San Domenico was their first local opponent, and one of the more difficult teams in their NCS division. Szilagyi also keyed in on their mindset ahead of the game as the contributing factor to the Bulldogs victory. “Everyone came into the game with intensity to get the win,” she says. The Bulldogs (14-8) began the season with lots of momentum, but have a lot to prove as they enter the upcoming NCS playoffs.
This season for the Bulldogs has already looked a lot different than the past season, one that didn’t go as planned for the team. What has been noticed throughout the program though, is the promising future.
“We have a lot of freshmen and sophomores that are stepping up and becoming big impact players for us,” says Nichole Caiocca, who is in her 10th season as head coach for the team. “Another cool thing is that we have lots of JV players on Jeremie’s team ready to play, and they are having another strong season.”
Coach Caiocca is excited about the future, and more specifically the ability to have lots of young stars combined with the experienced upperclassmen. A variety of age and experience can offer its challenges, but for the Bulldogs, they have used this as an advantage. It has had a major impact on their team chemistry; “I think chemistry for us comes naturally, spending at least 2 hours a day together,” says Szilagyi. “Being on this team for four seasons has helped me learn how to guide the younger players on navigating SR soccer, and our league.”
The younger players have made the jobs of Szilagyi and other veterans on the team fairly easy. Take sophomore right forward Jaela Brown, for example. In her 8th season of playing soccer and her 2nd for SR varsity, she has found her stride and is currently leading the team in goals made. But not only is she scoring goals, in only two seasons she has matured quickly, crediting all her success to those around her. “I think the key to my success are my teammates. They are the people that give me confidence to keep shooting and most of my goals have come through Rachel and Arlin’s through balls so they play a big part in my goals.” This type of humility is just a slice of the atmosphere and environment the team has created, and something that surprised Brown when she joined the team last year. “I didn’t expect everyone to be so welcoming and supportive, but they were.”
Welcoming is a common trait that has become a part of the team’s identity, and this year the team has welcomed two Freshman, who have both solidied themselves in the rotation of the lineup. One of which, Ryder Higgins-Jones, plays the starting striker role for the team. She has capitalized on her early opportunities, and seems to have adjusted to the speed and intensity of varsity soccer. This was proven in her first ever varsity game where she scored in a 6-0 victory over Hayward to cap off an impressive debut. Needless to say, Higgins-Jones has noticed a change in intensity from middle school to high school. “Listening to feedback has helped me become more confident with the ball. I have also adjusted by matching the physicality of players and being more aggressive instead of getting pushed around.” With more self confidence, and support from her teammates, it seems as though the sky’s the limit for the young freshman.
Now, already having a ticket punched to NCS semi-finals game against 2nd seed Saint Mary’s, the sixth seed Dogs control their own destiny. This year’s team has not been defined by what they haven’t accomplished, but more so how far they have come together. Together they have become the first SRHS women’s soccer team in program history to make it this far in the NCS playoffs, and in just a year they have seen a switch from a 3-10-3 record to a historic one of 14-8 and counting. Talented youth and valuable experience surrounding the program not only have the Dogs in a sealed spot for a NCS playoff run this year, but have set the standard for the future and shown this team it is only up from here.
