San Benito High freshman Brittany Huth has less than two months
of varsity experience, but that hasn’t stopped her from matching
with the more experienced veterans on the team – and turning some
heads while doing so.
”
It’s really been awesome,
”
said Huth of her experience this year.
”
Everyone has been great, and the coaches are helping me a
lot.
”
San Benito High freshman Brittany Huth has less than two months of varsity experience, but that hasn’t stopped her from matching with the more experienced veterans on the team – and turning some heads while doing so.
“It’s really been awesome,” said Huth of her experience this year. “Everyone has been great, and the coaches are helping me a lot.”
The former Rancho San Justo Middle School Student is quickly adapting to the varsity team.
“I feel like I have been on the team for a long time,” Huth said. “It feels like I have known them for a long time. It hasn’t been that different. It is better competition, and I am learning a lot more.”
The Baler team is known for its closeness this year, Huth said. She said she continually receives encouragement from her teammates.
“I haven’t really had a chance to play midfield much, so I am just trying to learn the position,” Huth said. “It is great (working with the other midfielders) because they don’t get mad at me. They try to help me fix what I did wrong. I am learning every time I play.”
Even though Huth is a freshman, she doesn’t have any of the traditional freshman duties like filling the water cooler. Coach Mike Schurig requires all of his players to treat each other with respect. As a result, they have built a special team bond, Schurig said.
“Those duties normally go to the most unfortunate during practice – the player that loses a drill,” Schurig said. “There is no hazing or anything. When they are out on the field, there is no class. They are all Baler soccer players. There aren’t any cliques.”
Huth said she couldn’t have imagined she would have made the varsity team her first year, but she was determined to work hard and let the cards fall how they would.
“I didn’t want to go in expecting anything because I didn’t want to be disappointed or heartbroken,” Huth said. “I just wanted to try my best and see what happened.”
The Balers had a couple freshmen on the team last year, but none of them have made the impact Huth has. Schurig also experimented with freshmen such as Julie Broyer and Rose Vandenburg during his first year with the team two seasons ago. The experiment was successful.
Ashley Perreira, who is training to be the backup goalie this year, is the only other freshman on the team.
“The confidence is building in her,” Schurig said about Perreira. “She has natural goal keeping abilities even though she hasn’t played it for a number of years.”
Huth started off as a substitute for the Haybalers but quickly impressed the coaches with her hustle. Recently, she was moved from defense to midfield.
“She has confidence in herself,” Schurig said. “She doesn’t have any apprehension about matching up with any of the seniors. She has fit in with everyone both on and off the field. She has a great attitude. You don’t even know that she is a freshman when she is out there.”
Huth has already scored a goal this year while playing defense. She put it in during the RLS game the Balers tied 3-3. Huth took the ball RLS tried to clear and fired it into the net from about 25 yards with her left foot – her strong foot.
“She is good with her right foot too,” Schurig said. “She can shoot with her right or left foot. You have to be able to one-touch it because you may not have the extra second to shoot with your favorite foot.”
Huth has been working on trying to be more aggressive and attacking the ball more.
“I find myself holding back sometimes,” Huth said. “You don’t have to be afraid of anyone. You just have to go in strong.”
Although the young booter also plays softball, her true love is with soccer – the sport she started with.
Her dream is to play soccer collegiately and then go on and continue playing professionally afterwards.
“That is what I have always wanted to do my whole life,” Huth said.
But right now, Huth is just enjoying her stay on the varsity squad even if everyone else is more experienced.
