Sophomore Linnea Heuschert shoots for

victory

By Gwen Burwell, Reporter

Sophomore Linnea Heuschert has been playing soccer for as long as she can remember. Growing up in a soccer-loving family has impacted her love for the game. In only her second season playing for the VHS girls soccer team, she has stepped into the leadership position of varsity co-captain.
Heuschert got acquainted with the game at five years old and started playing on the Vashon Island Soccer Club team with other kids from the island. Despite being new to Vashon, she made lasting connections with the people she played with at a young age. All these years later, the same people are out there on the field beside her.

“Most of my friends still play soccer with me,” Heuschert said. “[I have] a really close relationship with my brother, [through] soccer.”

Some of her earliest memories growing up were of watching her older brother, Jakob, play soccer.

“I’ve been watching him play since I can …remember,” Heuschert said. “He has taught me a lot.”

With the legacy of her older brother Jakob Heuschert as former boys soccer captain, Hueschert went into high school hoping to follow in his footsteps on the girls soccer team. Heuschert did not expect it to be so soon.

“I wasn’t sure I’d get on varsity last year, and then suddenly I became captain,” Heuschert said.

Before becoming fully committed to soccer, Heuschert only played seasonally for Vashon Island Soccer Club. She decided that was not enough, so she joined a year-round team with competitive games against off-island teams.

“Now I’m out playing soccer every day and I’ve gained a lot of skills,” Heuschert said.

Hueschert’s expertise on the field can be seen and her hard work has made her a stronger player. She can usually be spotted playing midfield or on the wing.

“[Heuschert] is an ideal team player. She’s just unselfish but very motivated [and] encouraging for the other players,” VHS girls soccer head coach Scott Nicolino said. “I have complete trust in her … I can put her pretty much anywhere on the field, and I can be comfortable knowing that she’s going to do what we need to do to better the team.”

With all of her hard work and dedication on the field, she is a natural leader on the team. Captain is typically a spot for senior players, so as a sophomore Heuschert is in a unique position.

“[Heuschert] is one of the smartest players on the field,” senior co-captain Phoebe Wilke said. “I am really excited to watch her grow as a player and a captain. There is not a single part of me that’s worried about the following season as long as Linnea is one of the captains.”

The support from Heuschert’s team members made her goal come true.

“Being a captain as a sophomore is not very common; I didn’t think it was really an option for me, so I wasn’t expecting it,” Heuschert said.

Coming from a tight-knit soccer community on Vashon, the joys Heuschert has on the soccer field are shared with some close friends whether or not they still play on the same team.

“[Vashon soccer players] all know each other,” Heuschert said. “They all play together, they scrimmage against each other just for fun on a Saturday.”

With a couple more years left on the pirate team, Heuschert is already thinking about plans for after high school.

“I would like to… go as far as I possibly can in soccer,” Heuschert said. “Whether that ends up not being super far or all the way to college — maybe past college.”

Heuschert has big ambitions for this season and hopes to lead the girls soccer team as far as possible, hopefully even to league and state championships.

“I just want to make sure that everyone feels like they are improving and having… a good time,” Heuschert said.