OTHELLO — The Othello Huskies girls soccer team is preparing for another tough season in the Central Washington Athletic Conference. This year the Huskies are returning with an advantage as they bring back their full roster from last season. 

“We’re looking good; we’re trending in the right direction,” said Huskies Head Coach Victor Quiroz. “We’re bringing everybody back that we had last year on our varsity team, so we’re super excited. That makes it a lot easier going into the season.” 

Last season, the Huskies completed the regular season 6-9-1, which earned them a spot for the district tournament. Othello was eliminated in the first round of districts after a tight game against Prosser that ended in a shootout with a final score of 2-1.

The strong group of returners consists of three seniors, Brooklyn Hillman, Aliyah Ruelas and Miriam Garcia this season, who the coach has worked with through the majority of their careers.  

“I’ve known them since they played middle school because I used to coach middle school soccer, so I had them over there,” said Quiroz. “It’s cool to see that transition from when they were middle school players to where they’re at now, you can see how they matured both in the game and just as young girls.” 

Aside from their soccer skills, the coach said the leadership each of the seniors will provide is going to be invaluable to the team.  

Brooklyn Hillman, one of the seniors for the Huskies, said she is a little nervous entering her final season with the team, but is confident in the skills of her teammates. 

“We have a good squad, and we should be able to make it farther than we did the past couple years,” said Hillman. “I’m excited just to see how my senior season goes knowing I have a chance to go play in college.” 

She said her and the other seniors have been working hard to be very encouraging to the younger classmen, especially the freshmen and stepping further into their leadership roles. 

“I think being a leader and being super encouraging is what our seniors are doing this year to help everyone come together as a team,” said the senior. 

This year Hillman said she really wants to make an effort to form a connection with her teammates outside of the field and strengthen the Huskies’ team bonds. 

“I think having the bond outside of the field is going to help us connect a lot more on the field,” she said. 

The major goal for the early season is to have the team find their identity once again after a long offseason, said Quiroz. Fortunately, most of the girls continued to train and compete in jamborees and club soccer alongside one another over the summer. 

“Through the summer we had a couple of jamborees, and it was mostly my varsity girls showing up, and I think that really benefits them,” he said. “We saw glimpses of what they can be when they’re all together and they’re in the zone.” 

Practices leading into the season have been focused on that goal of finding their identity this season and getting the girls into the right mentality to compete hard in a short season, said the coach. 

“The CWAC has always been tough, and we’ve been in the middle of the pack every single year, but I think the girls, like I said, we have our whole varsity returning,” said Quiroz. “I think just having that kind of experience of them playing together, it’s a huge benefit for us and it’s not like we’re trying to piece things together as we go.” 

The Huskies begin league play Sept. 10 on the road against the Ephrata Tigers at 5 p.m.

    Huskies senior Aliyah Ruelas gets possession of the ball at practice early on in the season.
  

    Othello’s Michelle Herrera chases after the ball in the late summer heat during practice ahead of the season.
  

    Khloe Valdez from Othello maneuvers the ball as she works to pass to her teammate at practice this season.
  

    Elizabeth Garcia from the Huskies weaves around the sticks during an early-season workout in practice.