As the saying goes, teamwork makes the dream work. With a goal of making this dream work possible is Maddy Samilo, the new head coach of the girls varsity soccer team.

Samilo is currently a coach for the San Francisco Glens soccer club and was previously a coach at the Bay School for the junior varsity program. With a strong passion for both playing and coaching the sport, Samilo believes that “Riordan has a lot of potential to become a soccer powerhouse in San Francisco.” “It’s a game that puts the people who work the hardest on top,” said goalkeeper on the varsity team, Samantha Rold ’26.

Rold continued about the new head coach, saying, “She pushes us to work hard in the weightroom and on the field but she also encourages us to have fun and do a little team bonding here and there.”

Coach Samilo chose to coach at Riordan because she “enjoy[s] helping programs grow and giving opportunities to others that she had growing up.”

To Coach Samilo, helping the girls’ soccer team grow is something she finds very important, as she recognizes that the program is relatively new–only three years old to be exact.

The team played their first game of the season on Dec. 3 against Monta Vista High School. Riordan won with a final score of 5-0, marking the very beginning of a successful soccer season.

Along with Coach Samilo, members of the team are looking forward to what the new season has to offer.

Captain and center midfielder, Ava Bowles ’25, said she is “looking forward to having to work hard with the team to improve and have a good season.”

To everyone part of the team, soccer is not just a game, but rather an opportunity to build relationships, strengthen skills, and of course, have fun and bring home some wins.