Junior and senior strikers lead soccer team, shoot for Valley championship

Success isn’t new for the Fresno Christian girls soccer team. Neither are the bumps in the road. The team has suffered various injuries in the past season, but players like Bekah Micu, ’20, have overcome their injuries and bounced back stronger. The girls are ready for whatever comes their way and to not only get back to a Valley championship game, but to win it.

Continuing success

The girls are off to a quick start, going 6-1 and outscoring their opponents 33-10 so far in the first seven games. This year, the squad looks to continue the success from previous seasons. They seek another Valley championship appearance and to come out on top.

In the following podcast, senior Richie Cortez discusses the 2019-20 soccer season with the FC girls team strikers.

The dynamic duo of Rylee Schwab, ’21, and Micu, two vital pieces in the lineup this season, hope to make a statement to the league and show their commitment to the game.

With multiple games being played already, the girls have set a foundation for the team heading into league play. Schwab and Micu talk about how the team looks so far and how this team pairs up to last years. 

“I think we look good,” says Micu. “We didn’t lose any seniors last year, so it’s been pretty consistent. We’ve just been getting better and we added some new freshman who have definitely changed the team for the better.” 

Last season, the squad managed to take down every league opponent, becoming undefeated league champions with a 9-0 record. 

“We show the rest of the league that we can compete,” said Schwab. “Even though we are in one of the lower divisions. I think they do fear to play us and figure out how to stop our such high scoring and fast pace. So I think that’s one of our biggest threats to other teams and usually they struggle figuring out how to stop that.” 

The speed of the team alongside these two strikers is a pivotal piece in the way their play style is handled. The team prefers to play wide. They get the ball out wide and play the ball up the field, down the flanks to the strikers. The reasoning behind this is the pace of Schwab and Micu. It’s worked ever since the two first started playing for the squad and the team looks to continue this play style to win a Valley championship. 

‘Third time’s a charm’

In recent seasons, the Eagles have made it to back to back Valley championship games; a heartbreaking loss last year against Arvin High in a 4-2 defeat, and prior to that year a 1-0 loss to Rosamond High.

Both Micu and Schwab gave their opinions on what the goal is for the team this year and what needs to be worked on in order to make it to another Valley championship game. 

“The goal all around for the team is to make it back to the Valley championship game and win it this year,” Schwab said. “We need to play our best one game at a time. To take things we learn in practice and actually apply it in games, so it doesn’t feel like we’re wasting time.”  

Both girls have made huge impacts on their team. Each have critical goal-scoring abilities and won First Team All-League last season. The question is, who will score more goals this season?

The girls and boys soccer teams head to Bakersfield for the annual Garces Tournament, Dec. 13-14. Make sure to check out The Feather’s Instagram to receive updates on the weekend’s results.

For more of Cortez’s interviews, check out Richie Cortez discusses Bekah Micu’s return from injury and Angel Ruelas eyes professional soccer career after Italian trip.

Richie Cortez can be reached via Twitter @richie_cortez9 and via email