Eagles prepare for crucial tournament
One of the favorite traditions for the FC soccer players is participating in the annual Garces Holiday Soccer Festival tournament, hosted by Garces Memorial High School. The tournament dates back to 2000 and has since grown exponentially to over 200 competing schools. This year the tournament will take place on December 15-16.
The boys will play in the Boys Silver Division while the girls will square off in the Girls Silver Division.
Known as ‘The Biggest High School Soccer Tournament on Earth’, the event is popular among students and coaches alike. Unfortunately, last year’s tournament was canceled due to rain and flooding.
Many players were extremely disappointed since they had been looking forward it all year. Braden Bell, 20’, was disappointed it couldn’t happen last year, but he was satisfied with their alternative, John’s Incredible Pizza.
“We were planning on going to John’s Incredible Pizza in Bakersfield,” Bell said. “We were disappointed we did not get to do that, so the coaches took us to the one in town instead. I was excited about playing in the tournament because I had never played in it before.”
Both the varsity girls and the varsity boys soccer teams have played several preseason games already this season. The lady Eagles currently have a record of 3-0, and many on the team have high hopes for the Garces Tournament.
This year will be different. The athletes are hoping for dry weather leading up to the tournament. Deborah Ingerson, ’20, is a new student this year and is highly anticipating the event.
“I’m so excited for the Garces tournament,” Ingerson said. “I am really looking forward to playing in this tournament and bonding with my teammates. It’s very exciting because I’m fairly new to this team, and I have high expectations.”
The grueling preseason has tested and strengthened the teams as a whole. Now they are prepared to face the new and exciting challenges that this tournament will provide.
For more information about Garces, check out their website. For more on soccer, read: Fresno native Villyan Bijev thrives in USL.
This author can be reached via twitter @logan6300 and via email: Logan Lewis.