North Bay High School’s new girls soccer team celebrates a growing athletic trend

SAN RAFAEL, California. – A North Bay high school is starting a girls’ soccer team, and the sport has attracted the interest of nearly 40 students in just a few months.

Now the team is hoping the community will meet the high demand and keep them afloat.

For the first time, the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics will feature women’s and men’s flag football, and it is now a growing trend in Bay Area high schools.

At San Rafael High School, demand for a girls’ soccer team was so high at the start of the school year that about 40 girls showed up to play.

“We started working with the district and administration to get funding and everything to form together, and magically it happened at the beginning of the year,” said senior Larissa “Shorty” Anavicia Baltazar.

Teacher and coach Shannon McClure said local artists and businesses helped the new team purchase soccer balls, design uniforms and put up flags.

“Everything has really been an uphill battle for us as a team, having to fight for everything and just work to get what we need,” McClure said.

The girls have played 12 games in the Bay Area since August.

“We haven’t won one yet, but every time we go out we get better,” McClure said.

From freshmen to seniors, the team is a family.

“I would say considering the age range, we’re pretty close,” junior Briza Briseno said.

The Bulldogs follow in the footsteps of the trailblazing Terra Linda Trojans across the city, who became the first in the school district to field an all-girls team last year.

Their head coach Roy Leon said their numbers have grown from 14 to 33 players this season.

“Football isn’t for girls, it’s just an alternative for us because we can’t play with the other gender – it’s for everyone,” Balthazar said.

For McClure, who acted while she was in school, it’s all about empowering young women.

“Girls help girls be strong,” McClure said. “I believe in raising strong girls and strong women.”

As the sport grows, McClure said she plans to create a junior varsity team and a varsity team.

The team has three games remaining in the season but is still seeking funding for next week’s game. The team is raising money on GoFundMe.