On May 10, West Chicago High School girls’ soccer program hosted their annual tournament.

The annual affair took place at Memorial Stadium, and games kicked off between 3:30 to 4:15 p.m. Teams of 4-5 players, one from each level (Varsity, JV1, JV2, and Freshmen), came together to choose a costume theme before the event. They then play against each other in a series of brackets.

At the end, after the girls are tired and worn out, their coaches challenge the winners as opponents.

“We get about 6 girls from all levels, they team up, get a costume on, and then we [coaches] compete at the end,” Coach Dorian Carrasco said.

As a result, the coaches won – perhaps no surprise, but they did celebrate their victory by grilling burgers for all the players.

The 3v3 tradition/competition is also seen as a bonding experience for the younger and older girls. Team chemistry is valued in this sport because of the reliance upon one another.

“I think it’s huge for our program and for them to get to know each other…I think the freshmen kind of look up to those varsity players that come in,” Coach Jose Villa said.

Seniors Heidi Pereckas and Natalie Fernandez both participated in the event all four years of their high school career. But, the underclassmen also found the event fun, and something to look forward to at the end of the season.

“I definitely remember this being one of the traditions last year and I was super excited to be involved,” freshman Ana Hurtado said.

Her teammate, fellow freshman Kaylee Kreitzer, agreed the event was fun, but saw some cons to it. The hard work that is needed to perform at a level against other girls players are not used to competing against takes a lot of patience and coachability.

“It’s like a lot of work and you have to put your effort into it,” Kreitzer said.

Kreitzer’s team, the Red Flags, proceeded to win the tournament against the other girls.

The team is hoping to promote the 3v3 to the school and surrounding community in the future.

“This year, a lot of people have been asking about it and you know, want to be part of it, just because it’s a fun celebration…why not make it a little bit bigger next year?” Carrasco said.