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Santa Margarita’s motivation for the girls soccer season that begins Monday emerged early in the fall with the sounds that bounced off the walls during the team’s weight training sessions.

“Our trainer will say, ‘Give me two claps!’ and we (clap) as a team, and it echoes in the room,” defender Bella Gissendanner said. “It’s awesome. We have great energy in the weight room. We got music going and everyone is pushing it hard. We got to build that muscle for this year.”

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Those two claps could be for back-to-back championships.

That’s precisely what Santa Margarita is aiming for this winter.

The Eagles swept the CIF Southern Section and CIF Southern California Regional championships last season in Division 1. And judging by their offseason workouts, they’re hungry for another sweep.

“I think we’re going to be more hard-working this year,” said senior forward Faith George, the reigning Orange County player of the year. “Now we know what it takes to win and I want to go back-to-back.

“For us,” she added, “the biggest goal this year is just going to be, ‘Let’s be the hard-working team in all of California and let’s win through our hard work.’ … especially if we want to win a national championship.”

Santa Margarita soccer player Faith George in Rancho Santa Margarita, CA, on Tuesday, October 24, 2023. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

While the Eagles’ internal expectations are high, the players know they will need to fend off challengers. Mater Dei and JSerra loom in the Trinity League and Los Alamitos — Santa Margarita’s playoff rival last season — looks strong again.

“We have to be even harder-working than last year knowing that the target is on our back,” All-County goalie Peyton Trayer said. “We have to keep pushing because everyone is going to be out to beat us.”

Santa Margarita returns several key contributors from a team that went 22-2-1 last season.

The frontline will again feature George, who signed with USC this week, and sophomore Jastel David. Senior forward Sydney Osborn is not expected to play, Coach Craig Bull said.

The midfield will be anchored by Texas signee Molly MacMillan, a senior who played in the middle last season.

The biggest question mark is the backline, where the Eagles will feature two new center backs. The candidates for those spots, Bull said, include seniors Gissendanner, Kaylee McKeehan, Charlotte Memoly, Ruby Casey and Ireland Regan.

Bull and his players are confident they will find the right mix. Their focus remains on staying motivated and hard working.

“We’ve been focusing on staying humble,” said Gissendanner, an Idaho signee. “And knowing that just because of what we did last year doesn’t guarantee anything for this year. We got to go in and keep working. We’re grinding.”

NOTES

The Best in the West Classic is scheduled for Dec. 9-16. The top group includes host Newport Harbor, San Juan Hills, Huntington Beach, JSerra, Los Alamitos and Pacifica. …

Woodbridge, a team to watch in the Pacific Coast League, will be boosted by addition of senior Milan Heisdorf, a UC Irvine commit who hasn’t been playing high school soccer. She was a standout on the Warriors’ flag football team in the fall.

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