The Aliso Niguel girls soccer team has kicked off their 2023-2024 season by taking on their preseason with fresh victories and a new coach. Friends and family of the team were absolutely stoked and filled with excitement as they packed the stadium bleachers, decked out in Wolverine spirit wear and teal colors.
Leading the players this season for the first time ever is a brand new Head Coach: Coach Marco Spaccini. Alongside him in leadership, Paige Balducci (10) is also currently helping to lead the team as their team captain during the start of preseason.
According to player number 13, Maya Deiser (12), “Marco is great and it’s really nice to have someone new changing the program.”
Deiser is a senior varsity athlete and she plays as the team’s center back.
She also says that for the 2023-2024 season, she is “hoping we get to CIF this year!”
Together as a unified team, the players achieved an amazing start to the 2023-2024 year as they defeated Beckman High School on Dec. 5, traveling their way up to the city of Irvine to compete in an away non-conference game. Wolverines cheered with enthusiasm throughout the game as Aliso Niguel scored 4 points to the Beckman High Patriots’ 0 points. This game secured Coach Spaccini’s first victory at Aliso Niguel High School.
A few days later, on Dec. 7th, the ANHS girls soccer team competed again. But this time on their own turf in the ANHS Wolverine Stadium. On this late Thursday night, the varsity team tied with the Marina High School Vikings. It was a difficult and long match, but both teams managed to score one goal each, making it a tied game.
Currently, the Aliso Niguel team holds an overall score of 1-1-0w ith a 0.75 winning percentage.
Player number 7, Bayley Legget (11), is ecstatic and eager to begin playing against this year’s competition. She plays for the varsity team as a winger.
She says that her main goal for herself and her fellow teammates is “to win this season!”
At the moment, the soccer athletes are preparing for their upcoming competition, to which Deiser says that she hopes the team is, “getting more comfortable playing with each other since it’s only been two games.”
For their upcoming competition, they have another preseason game scheduled against JSerra High School. This is to be followed up by the Excalibur Tournament that will be in Tustin and taking place from Dec. 27th to Dec. 29th.
This will conclude the 2023 part of their season, but as the team returns from their winter break next semester, they will pick up again by wrapping up their preseason with a home game against El Toro High on Jan. 4th.
Aliso Niguel soccer athletes, coaches, parents, friends and fans are in high spirits as this long awaited season is finally here.
