On Feb. 16, the Pioneer Valley High School girls’ soccer team (14-7-2) lost their second CIF playoff match against Santa Ynez High School 1-2. In spite of this, the Lady Panthers walked off the field that night with their heads held high, because when they look back, they won’t remember the sting of that game. What they’ll remember is being “first”—the first Lady Panthers soccer team to make it to CIF since the school opened in 2004.
They’ll also remember what they proved to opponents across the Central Coast, and to themselves. And most importantly, they will carry with them the memory of the legacy and standard they’ve set for all the Lady Panthers to come after them. The 2016-2017 girls’ soccer team aspires to the motto of Pioneer Valley—leading the way.
Coach Gabe Velasco is in his fifth year as head coach at Pioneer Valley and 20th year overall as a coach. Even though the Feb. 16 game was a story of two halves, Velasco said this team has accomplished a lot this season and should be proud.
“This team is different because they just love to play,” Velasco said. “I don’t have to force them to be at practice or focus. They love to practice, they have great attitudes, and we have had great leadership on this team.”
What also sets the team apart is the sense of “togetherness” that is apparent at their practices and their games. A close group of girls with a one-minded goal, Velasco said, they love being around each other.
Any coach will tell you that the easiest teams to coach are those where everyone gets along, supports each other, and shares the same goal. Sometimes, talent has little to do with success in athletics.
“On game days, there was a different feel to them,” Velasco said. “They would go from being fun-loving girls to these tough, competitive athletes with great focus.”
But the Lady Panthers are definitely not short on talent. For instance Sasha Brafman, a sophomore defensive midfielder, is an easy-going, quiet girl who becomes a beast on the field, according to coach Velasco.
“Sasha has no fear and is the sweetest kid off the field, but on the field she is an animal,” Velasco said. “She does all of our dirty work and usually ends up beat up and bruised from getting knocked over so much.”
Brafman is the daughter of two very successful soccer-playing parents and teachers. She has been most inspired by her mother, Bilena Brafman, Sasha told the Sun.
“My mom has taught me to work hard and that even if I’m not the best, I can still work harder than anyone else,” Sasha said.
She said the biggest strength of her team this season was how well everyone got along, and the love for soccer that brought them all together.
“This season I’ve learned that even though we’re all different, we were able to come together as a team and play our game,” she said. “We played a lot of teams that were bigger than us, but we had the fight to keep going.”
According to coach Velasco, the team’s overall goals this year were to be competitive in the PAC-8 and make it to CIF.
“As a coach, I shared with them the belief that we could compete and make it to CIF, and we accomplished that,” Velasco said. “Playoffs were uncharted waters for them and they knew not to take it for granted.”
Velasco asserts that the team has a high soccer IQ, that they are very mentally strong. In past seasons, the team would go into games hoping not to lose.
“This season we went into games believing we would win, and that’s half the battle sometimes,” Velasco said.
If the 20-year veteran coach were to pick one word to describe this year’s Panthers, it would be “unselfish.” He said this team is not about one or two superstar players.
When asked who were the stronger players on the team this season, Velasco had trouble picking just a few.
“We have five seniors that we playfully call the ‘Fantastic Five,’ since they were freshmen on the varsity team,” Velasco said. “They’ve developed into great leaders.”
One of those seniors is forward Patricia Rubio. Velasco said that Rubio is very calm, poised, and has been the Panthers’ leading scorer all season. The other girls on the team look up to her very much, he explained.
Rubio is one of the “Fantastic Five,” and shared that they have wanted to make it to CIF since their freshmen year.
“I am so excited that we will get to be known for this,” Rubio said, smiling. “I liked that we were a confident team with a strong bond.”
For Rubio and the team, she said the biggest thing this year has been proving anyone who doubted them wrong.
“We’ve showed that even though we aren’t the biggest team, we wanted it and we got it,” Rubio said. “We learned that confidence is key and that we needed to believe in ourselves.”
Rubio, who said she will miss traveling and making memories with her team, hopes to continue playing at California State University Dominguez Hills and pursue a career in nursing.
Velasco said other notable players include captains Olivia Lopez and Kasandra Bright. Lopez is like another coach on the field while Bright acts as the heartbeat of the team, he said.
An up-and-coming Panther is freshman Natalie Needham.
“She is a starter on defense and will be a defensive player of the year candidate for the rest of her years here,” Velasco said.
Manning the goal box for the season was sophomore Sara Rodriguez, who had several key plays in the first CIF game. She said the strongest part of the current team is the fact they all know each other’s strengths and weaknesses.
“We just wanted to play happy this season and prove all the people doubting us wrong,” Rodriguez said. “But we knew what we could do, and we didn’t let it get to us.”
As a coach, Velasco hates to take credit for the CIF playoff berth since the girls are the ones on the field doing the work. But he is proud of how this team has changed the history of girls’ soccer at Pioneer Valley.
“The confidence that grew in the girls as the season went on is also special because that will stay with them in life, not just in sports,” Velasco said. “We are no longer the easy win we used to be in years past. Teams now know that if you are playing Pioneer Valley, you’re in for a battle, win or lose.”
Contributor Kristina Sewell is also an English teacher at Pioneer Valley High School. Contact her via Managing Editor Joe Payne at jpayne@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Feb 23 – Mar 2, 2017.