Izzy Tolosa is an outside player for the Girls’ Academy League at the Silicon Valley Soccer Academy (SVSA). As a former player for the Wilcox girls’ varsity soccer team, Izzy had been playing for Wilcox since her sophomore year and had been captain for two years.
In late November, Izzy was forced to step away from the team in order to continue participating in SVSA, a decision that led to backlash from her former Wilcox coach. In an interview with Izzy, she opened up about her journey as a soccer player, disagreement with her coach, and what the future holds for her in terms of the sport.
Izzy first became interested in soccer after watching her older brothers play it when she was younger. Originally, Izzy played soccer for fun, but as she got older and became more invested in the sport, she desired to play at a higher level. This led to her decision to play soccer competitively. Izzy played soccer for the Santa Clara Sporting Club for eight years before transferring to the Silicon Valley Soccer Academy (SVSA) because the program offered better opportunities for players who hoped to get recruited for college. For Wilcox, Izzy played as a forward; an attacking player position in soccer. “I love playing as a forward because I get to score goals and create chances for my team,” Izzy expressed. “I also love being technical on the ball, so getting to use moves to fake people out is my favorite.”
However, in late November, Izzy was forced to make a decision regarding her place on both the Wilcox team and SVSA. The Santa Clara Valley Athletic League (SCVAL) had created a rule in 2012 that prevented student-athletes who played for both their school and outside club teams from participating in outside clubs once the winter sports season had begun. The rule states as follows, “All Winter Athletes must have stopped participation in contests for a team outside of the school, in the same sport, by the Monday following Thanksgiving, if the player is to participate on the high school team.” This rule put Izzy in a tough position since the Girls’ Academy League would have a showcase the weekend after Thanksgiving. A showcase isn’t a tournament; it’s a set of games that soccer players play in front of college coaches to showcase their abilities so that they can have better chances of playing soccer in college. Because Izzy wants to play college soccer, she decided attending the showcase would be better than playing for Wilcox. It was a hard decision for her because she wanted to play soccer on a team with her school friends, but she chose SVSA because she thought it would be better for her future.
To say that her high school coach was displeased upon hearing her announcement would be an understatement. He was furious over Izzy’s decision to quit the team and, according to Izzy herself, harshly told her, “I bet you a million dollars that you’ll go to that showcase and come out with nothing.” This comment made Izzy realize that she had made the right decision in going to the showcase because it fueled her to prove him wrong and she no longer wanted to play for a coach who discouraged their players. Much to her pleasure, Izzy did end up proving her former coach wrong, as after the showcase, many college coaches contacted her with interest.
However, while Izzy wants to continue playing soccer in college, she wants to prioritize her education and will only play the sport at the college level if she receives an offer from a school with strong academics. What is a definite fact though, is that Izzy is a fantastic soccer player, and with her strong determination to achieve her dreams alongside her skills in soccer, she is sure to have a bright future ahead of her.
