Boys’ and Girls’ Soccer Travel to Spain for Preseason Trip

CURTESY OF MRS. SERPONE

This summer, before the school year started, Deerfield Academy’s Varsity Boys and Girls soccer teams went on a 10-day preseason trip between August 9 to 19 to Valladolid, Spain. Accompanying them were Head Coach and Sports Information Director Carly Barbato and Assistant Coach Jeanette Boudway for the Girls’ team and Head Coach and Dean of Spiritual and Ethical life Jan Flaska and Assistant Boys’ Varsity Lacrosse Coach and John Taylor for the Boys’ team. In total, twenty-five boys attended the trip led by captains Cooper Johnson ’26, Alex Salvo ’26, Jadin Smith ’26 and Owen Tymchuk ’26. Salvo found the trip beneficial, saying, “The preseason just helped us as a team in general, with chemistry, bonding, and all that.” Furthermore, he believed that in addition to letting the team prepare and improve their soccer skills, the trip also allowed the team to meet the new players for the upcoming season. Tymchuk has played on the Varsity soccer team since his sophomore year when he first arrived at Deerfield, and has participated in every preseason trip. He described the multifaceted nature of the trips, saying, “We [pace] ourselves well, never having more than one practice or game in a day, and I think that left a lot of time for cultural experience which was a big part of the trip.” The dynamic of this year’s trip has improved from previous years. “This trip felt less soccer-based than years prior and more evenly balanced, it almost felt like a CSGC [Center for Service and Global Citizenship] trip in some sense,” Tymchuck said. Johnson, who is returning from an injury this season, found the trip eye-opening and constructive. “It was beneficial because we got to work with the Spanish coaches and they knew a lot of stuff we had never been taught before, and they had a different outlook on how to play. We carried their systems over into our games at Deerfield and how we are still playing now,” he said. The Girls’ Varsity Soccer Team also had similar feedback on the trip, finding it enjoyable. “I thought the Spain trip was super fun! After some of our games we would eat with some of the other teams. It helped to learn more fluent Spanish,” said Captain Keira Austen ’26. Austen has taken Spanish throughout her time at Deerfield, but found opportunities to expand her understanding of the language while spending some time in Valladolid. Other than daily practices, the two teams have engaged in other team bonding activities. “We toured around a bunch of arenas which was a really cool experience, and one [of] the best things was just playing charades with the team on long bus rides back,” said Austen. The same sentiment is expressed by other players on the team, who appreciated the experience during the trip. Post Graduate Cole Barrett ’26 said, “It was a wonderful experience, [and] I would do it again in a heartbeat. Coming in as a new person, I didn’t know a lot of people on the team, and it gave me a chance before school started to meet a lot of people.” During the preseason trip, both teams engaged in building connections, enhancing their soccer skills, and expressing appreciation for one another. The teams also aimed to gain an understanding of one another and their team dynamics. Looking ahead, both teams hope the positive experiences gained over these trips can be transformed into success on the field for both programs and during Choate Week.