Nelia Ranjbar is the captain of the girls varsity soccer team at Glendale High School. She was born and raised in Glendale, California, and soccer has always been a part of her life, since she has been playing soccer since the age of eight. She has been competing in the sport for nine years now, and she is only going to get better.
Nelia’s brother had been participating in soccer matches before she started playing. She remembers watching his soccer matches, and she soon became inspired to play as well, starting with the American Youth Soccer Organization. She soon fell in love with the sport and competed on several teams.
Nelia also played on the soccer team at Wilson Middle School, before coming to GHS. She has also been a member of the girls’ varsity soccer team since her freshman year, but she revealed, “I started off as a scared freshman seeing all the seniors [on the team], but as the years went on, I found my place on the team.”
Nelia usually plays a defense position, but this year she has been exploring many other positions as well. Her jersey number has a special meaning for her. “I chose nineteen [because it is the number of] one of my inspirations, Crystal Dunn,” she stated. “She plays fullback just like me.”
Nelia’s favorite part about being on the team is the bonds that have been created between all of the players. She said, “We are like family.”
Nelia mentioned that the hardest part about the team this year is “getting [the team] to adjust to the new level and [getting used] to playing with each other.” This is due to the majority of the players being new to the team.
“Last season we had a lot of seniors and everyone already knew how to play [as a team] and [knew] what [teams] we were going up against,” she recalled. “Last year we were able to take on [other] teams more.”
Nelia wishes to continue playing soccer in college on an athletic scholarship. Her ideal school is UC Irvine, and she would like to study kinesiology there.
Nelia has a lot of respect for her managers, Coach Victor and Coach Aquino. “I really like [my] coaches,” she said. “I like how they bring us up and help us fix our mistakes rather than putting us down. They form this level of intensity for our practices that is expected.”
If you are interested in joining the girls soccer team at GHS, Nelia has this advice: “Have confidence and work hard, because you’ll see that these girls are very welcoming and loving. Be your best, and give it your all for each practice.”
If you are interested in being a part of next year’s squad, please contact Coach Aquino for more information! And don’t forget to follow the GHS girls soccer Instagram page: @glendalegirlssoccer.
