It’s halftime at the 12U AYSO soccer match at Sarzotti Park and Team Brazil has stormed back from a 2-0 deficit to tie the game.
Over orange slices and watermelon wedges, first-time AYSO coach Danika Carver lets her players know she appreciates their toughness and tenacity, but reminds them that the job is not done.
“We all locked in when we got scored on twice so that was really good,” Danika told her young charges who are clad in bright neon yellow Team Brazil uniforms. “But we want to make sure we stay organized and in our formations. And I think we could be a little more physical this game.”
Danika knows a little bit about bringing physicality to the game.
The Ojai Valley School junior is known for her hard-nosed play on the OVS soccer squad, where she plays mostly midfield. She knows plenty about the game, having started playing soccer when she was just six years old.
All of that experience has been good preparation for her current role as coach, where she is in charge of eight young athletes with varying degrees of skill and commitment.
American Youth Soccer Organization (AYSO) is a soccer program for young children ranging from the ages of 4 years old to 19.
Danika has been passionate about soccer since she was a young girl. Her mother, Cindy Carver, has served as an AYSO coach and administrator. Her older brother Caleb aplayed AYSO and at OVS, and he also coached an AYSO team his senior year of high school.
“That kind of inspired me,” Danika said. “And also it’s the fact that my family was always so involved in community soccer, because my mom was the Regional Commissioner, so she was running it.”
Danika said she has faced her share of challenges as a coach out on the field, including needing to meet the young players where they are athletically.
“Each kid needs different types of encouragement and different ways of telling them things for it to actually be effective,” Danika said.
Her mother speaks differently in regards to the challenges Danika faces.
“I think it’s mostly scheduling, because sometimes she has a horse show on a weekend, like last Saturday, so I had to cover for her,” said Mrs. Carver, who is the Learning Center teacher at the Upper Campus.
“I think she’s doing a phenomenal job,” Mrs. Carver added. “The kids really like her, and she gets out there and plays with them, and I think they really enjoy that.”
Danika said she has learned much on the sidelines this season and that she has plans to continue in future seasons.
“The biggest challenge is making sure that the pressure of a game or being down doesn’t stop you from coaching each one of your unique players,” Danika said.