Parker Salomon
Sports Editor
Senior Viviana Villacorta is at the top of her game, joining the United States women’s under 18 national soccer team.
The team is comprised of the top women’s soccer players across the country. The team travels across the globe to compete against other national teams from various different countries.
“Being a part of such an amazing team will allow me to learn so many new things, such as ball handling and overall refinement on the field,” Villacorte said. “The intense training will also allow me to gain much needed stamina and endurance when playing multiple teams in the same day.”
The first step to becoming a part of the national team is getting a recommendation from a club coach or getting asked to a training camp by one of the many national team’s scouts. After Villacorta was recommended by her club coach Mauricio Ingrassia, she went to one of the national team’s clinics to learn new soccer techniques and to refine her performance on the field.
Link: Viviana Villacorta commits to UCLA
“I recommended Villacorta to be a part of the national team because she has always been a very consistent and strong player,” Ingressia said. “I think she has a lot of potential as a soccer player and will thrive in the very intense and difficult environment that comes along with being apart of the national team.”
The team practices at least 5 times a week for two to three hours at a time. The team puts a major focus on conditioning so the players can be in the best condition possible. Villacorta says that being a part of the national team is a huge time commitment in order to be the best player possible.
“There is a lot of pressure to always perform your best and to be in the best shape possible when competing on such a high level,” Villacorta said. “I really hope to live up to my coaches’ expectations and really grow as a player.”
Link: Viviana competes in International Cup
On Oct. 12 the team is headed to Ireland to compete in a four team tournament. The team will compete against Northern Ireland’s, England’s and France’s’ national teams. Villacorte says this will be her the first major tournament that she we be competing in with the team so there is a lot of pressure to perform well.
“I have never competed in a tournament as major as this one so I am very excited for the challenge,” Villacorte said.
On top of playing for the women’s national team, Villacorte has also committed to play soccer for the University of San Diego (USD). She was talking with other schools but decided to stay close to home and play for USD. Villacorte says that she is very excited for all the opportunities she will have once she arrives at USD.
“Being a student athlete is very difficult because you basically have two full time jobs,” Villacorte said. “Although it will be difficult it will be a very rewarding experience that I hope to enjoy.”
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