Back In Camp: Women’s Soccer

WSOC8/2/2022 12:20 PM | By: Jared Prescott

Cal Women’s Soccer Players Prepared For 2022 Season With International Competition

After playing back-to-back seasons in spring 2021 and fall 2021, the women’s soccer team returned finally had a normal offseason this year. 

 

“Honestly, I can’t even distinguish the two seasons,” Cal senior goalkeeper Angelina Anderson said. “Those two seasons blended into one. It was wild having the quick turnaround that no team has had to go through previously. This was my first spring season, that I’ve ever had here. Due to COVID, we went home a few weeks into my freshman spring season because of the pandemic.”

 

After being sent home in spring 2020 and not getting to train with the team for nearly a year, the Bears then played consecutive competitive seasons, missing out on valuable development time. This spring was different; the Bears had a full spring of practices and a number of players took advantage of the time by playing for their respective national teams.

 

“The international game is played with a high level of soccer intelligence, athleticism and technical speed, which can only help a player grow,” Cal head coach Neil McGuire said. “We always see growth in how a player views the game, and their effectiveness within it. There is also a maturity that comes along with representing your national team which often inspires players to want to achieve more. We have seen that in the players who have had recent international experience.”
 

Fifth-year Sydney Collins represented the United States at the U-23 level, while sophomore Ayo Oke and freshman Teagan Wy donned the Red, White and Blue for the U-20 team. Alexis Wright and Noelle Bond-Flasza were called up to play for the Jamaican U-20 team at the CONCACAF Championship.

 

Collins tested herself against professionals as she joined the United States U-23 team as they competed against NWSL sides in a preseason tournament in her hometown of Portland. Collins hadn’t played for the U.S. at any level since she was 16 years old. However, her improvements at Cal were documented by the coaching staff and sent in to the national team coaches, which led to an invitation to camp this spring.

 

“I felt like I had played at such a level at Cal that had prepared me,” Collins said. “So, I went into camp feeling a lot more confident then when I was there…