Despite entering a new league this year, the Diamond Bar High School girls soccer team has high hopes for the new look season and is already practicing rigorously for the tough competition ahead.

“They moved us into a new league, [the Palomares league], which is going to be a little tougher for us, and then also a higher division in CIF as well. But we’re expecting to still do well, but it should be more challenging for us,” head coach Matt Brummett said.

In fact, Brummett believes that this year’s team has the capability to do well enough to qualify for the CIF playoffs because of many experienced players on the team. Last week, the Lady Brahmas finished in first place at the San Dimas Tournament. So far this season, they have a undefeated record of 5-0.

This year, Brummett expects several of the players on the team to stand out, specifically the four captains, seniors Marissa Favela, Mia Truggerro, Helena Kisor, and junior Sabrina May. He also expects the goalkeepers, freshman Samantha Blazek, sophomore Victoria Krantz, and junior Stevie Eide, to do well. Specifically, Favela is a skilled attacking player while Truggerro is a solid all-around player.

“I’m really excited for this season. We have a lot of returning starters and some good new players, so it should be a very successful season for us,” Kisor, said over Facebook.

Last year, the team had an overall record of 18-5-3 and a league record of 9-2-1. Although they made CIF, they were eliminated during the quarter finals.

“If you can find the consistency in your players, you can meet your expectations. And all of them are very competitive and all of them want to win and play well, and I just expect that to remain consistent… [as well as for the players] to do their absolute best,” Brummett said.

To do this, the team needs to create chemistry between the new players and the veterans. Although the girls soccer team does have many experienced players, incoming players will have to get used to the level.

“We might be at a disadvantage because we aren’t familiar with the competition like we’ve been in the past, but after a few games, I’m confident we can adjust accordingly,” May said via Facebook.

Preparing for the upcoming season, the team trains every day, strengthening its offense, defense, counterattacking strategy and more. Furthermore, the team trains with Albert Lim, the strength training coach, at least once a week to prevent injuries.