This year, Riordan’s girls soccer team sets off with its first-ever season in the WCAL.

     Here to lead this transition and help these young athletes, Riordan has welcomed a new coach: Elizabeth Rappolt, known as Coach Libby to her team.

     After being recruited by coach Bill Chu to help build the Riordan girls’ soccer team during this historic season, Rappolt has made her goals for the season very clear.

     Not only is there a focus on strengthening the cohesiveness of the JV and Varsity teams, but Rappolt is also focused on reducing the possibility of injuries and working on the players’ understanding of tactical game principles.

     Rappolt explained that her plan includes “introducing a team-level idea of attacking shape and depending shape, and how the players transition between those two tasks of attacking and defending.” 

      Along with coaches Gio and Cayce, she hopes “to help the players better understand their responsibilities in the attacking and defending moments.”

     In their game against Half Moon Bay, the Crusaders started their season off well with a 2-0 win, working to highlight the new coaches’ teaching strategies.

     Also, here to support the team during their transition into the WCAL, upperclassmen members are here to guide the team through victory.

     Riordan senior and team captain Maddalena Dito is confident that the team will continue to compete to the best of their ability. As a member of the team for four years now, she hopes to help create a positive environment on and off the field, with the help of her other team captains.

    “The team has changed over the years, but the transition to the WCAL is exciting for our whole team because it’s been a long process for our program to get there,” she explained. “It’s going to help us grow and improve as a team and challenge us now that we are getting to play high-level teams with more intensity.”

     Being so prepared for this new season is sure to pay off, as the team has been working extremely hard. Riordan’s girls’ soccer is a growing program, with noticeable improvements each season.

     Carmen Giuffre ’27, stated, “Helping members transition into the WCAL is definitely a challenging goal, but we’re hoping with the growing immunity that it’ll be a really smooth and quick transition.”