Suzette Vandenberg had pretty much made up her mind that she wasn’t going to try out for the San Benito High girls soccer team last November.
One couldn’t blame her. After making the varsity team as a freshman, Vandenberg was relegated to playing on the junior varsity squad both as a sophomore and junior.
However, after Vandenberg had a conversation with her dad, Ted, she changed her mind.
“My dad has always been the person to push me out of my comfort zone,” Vandenberg said. “He told me if I didn’t make the (varsity) team, at least I tried. “He’s always made me reach for what I didn’t think was possible.”
The possibilities, as it’s often said, turned out to be endless. Last week, Vandenberg, a senior defender, was named the Monterey Bay League Gabilan Division Defensive Most Valuable Player.
The 5-foot-8 Vandenberg actually found out from teammate Chace Miguel, who texted Vandenberg the good news.
“I was in complete shock,” Vandenberg said. “I didn’t believe it at first—I thought it was a joke.”
Making the latest chapter in Vandenberg’s career all the more storybook in nature was the fact that Vandenberg had never played defender before, having played forward in her first three years of high school.
Early in the non-league portion of the Haybalers schedule, Vandenberg found herself sitting on the bench, wondering what she needed to do to receive playing time.
Turns out all she needed was a position change and an opportunity. In the third game of the season against Leigh, Balers coach Becky Bonner inserted Vandenberg into the game as a defender.
“My initial thought to the position change was “Yeah, put me in so I can play,’” Vandenberg said. “After the game, coach pulled me aside and told me I was doing everything correctly even though I didn’t know what I was doing. So from there, I just developed with each game.”
Bonner said it was evident from the moment Vandenberg was inserted in as a defender, she had a natural feel for the position.
“Two minutes in, and we realized that was the position we should’ve been playing her all along,” Bonner said. “Suzette is a natural defender because she’s strong, quick and knows how to cut off angles. She’s tenacious, literally works hard in every practice and there was never one time during a game where I looked at her and not thinking she wasn’t working hard.”
Playing textbook defense all season, Vandenberg made the position change look seamless. It was as if Vandenberg had played defender her entire life. Bonner said Vandenberg’s play made the transition from losing three starting defenders off last year’s team smoother.
This past season, San Benito finished second in the Gabilan Division before getting eliminated in the first round of the Central Coast Section Division I playoffs. The Balers probably wouldn’t have gotten to the postseason had it not been for Vandenberg’s stellar play.
“She more than tried—she dominated,” Bonner said. “I was so proud of her to not only make the transition, but become such a force.”
Soccer runs in the Vandenberg family. Ted played soccer in high school and both of Vandenberg’s siblings—Nick, 30, and Rose, 28—played soccer at Menlo College and UCLA, respectively.
When Rose was in high school, she and Suzette would play soccer together almost everyday at Cerra Vista School Park. Known for her relentless energy, Vandenberg was the kid who broke everything in the house, kicking the soccer ball around and shattering everything in its wake.
“I was always a rambunctious kid,” she said. “I also did gymnastics when I was younger, and had to release my energy through sports.”
In a span of one year, Vandenberg went from the junior varsity to a seldom-used player on the varsity to being named the MBL Gabilan’s Defensive MVP. Two games into the season, Vandenberg still didn’t know if she had made the right decision on trying out for the team.
However, in struggle comes triumph.
“The preseason was hard for me,” she said. “I really learned how to work over difficulties of not being able to play and being the best bench warmer I could be.”
In addition to her dad, Vandenberg credited her mom, Wanda, for instilling in her a sense of character and belief.
“My mom always told me no matter what the outcome, be the best person you can be, and to love everyone no matter how they treat you,” Vandenberg said. “A lot of inspiration comes from my mom.”
Note: In addition to Vandenberg, Chace Miguel also made the MBL’s first team. Jen Martin and Alyssa Bengivengo made the second team, Marisa Villegas earned the team’s sportsmanship award while also sharing the league’s Newcomer of the Year award with Alisal’s Natalie Rios.
