Men's and Women's soccer is a winter sport in California.  The season typically runs November - February, inclusive of tryouts, regular season - and for Varisty - post-season play if the team qualifies.

Cal High fields three teams:

1. Varisty - students from any grade are eligbile for this level

2. Junior Varsity - Juniors, Sophomores, and Freshmen are eligible for this level

3. Freshmen - Sophomores and Freshmen are eligible for this level.  Note: if the team is comprised entirely of Freshmen, it is referred to as the "Freshmen" team.  If it has a combination of Sophomores  and Freshmen, it is referred to as the "Frosh" team.

The number of players varies by team each year depending on factors such as, but not limited to, the number of students trying out, relative skill levels, etc. 

A comprehensive list of FAQ's about the women's soccer program can be viewed and printed from this FAQ document.

In addition to this website, there two optional, in-person opportunities to learn more about the soccer program, ask questions, etc.

1. Wednesday, October 22nd from 6:30 - 7:30 PM in the Cal High Library - for prospective players and / or their parent(s).  Registration is not required to attend.

2. Monday, October 27th from 10:10 - 10:40 AM in Coach Cefalo's classroom - for prospective players

Tryouts for the 2025 - 2026 academic year will be conducted across several days in November.  A detailed schedule by grade level will be posted here in late October and sent via email to those that have registered.  Prospective players are highly encouraged to register for tryouts and complete the athletic and medical clearance forms even if they might not be able to attend the tryouts when they are conducted. 

Tryouts will be conducted in the Cal High stadium.

The tentative tryout dates are:

• Monday, November 17th - Time TBD

• Tuesday, November 18th - Time TBD

• Wednesday, November 19th - Time TBD

• Thursday, November 20th - Time TBD

Please check back often for the detailed schedule by day.  The Women's Soccer Program will also send an email in mid-November with tryout times and other information to all students and their parents & guardians who have registered for tryouts.

Students must register for tryouts using the Tryout Registration form.  This must be submitted by end of day Monday, November 10th.  The form is still available after November 10th, but don't wait until then to compelte it.

Students must also have an Athletic and Medical clearance to participate.  Refer to the next FAQ question or the 2025 - 2026 Tryouts page for more info.

Students must obtain both an Athletic and Medical clearance to participate in tryouts for any sport at Cal High. The steps required are available on the Cal High Athletics page.

Every student interested in tryouts is highly encouraged to complete this process as soon as possible, and no later than November 10th, 2025.  Forms cans be completed and uploaded after November 10th, but completing this step sooner allows time for corrections if there are issues. 

Yes!  Any student interested in joining the Soccer Program is highly encouraged to register for tryouts regardless of participation in any other Cal High sport, or physical ability to take part (e.g., recovering from an injury when tryouts occur).  The tryout registration form has questions regarding these circumstances and students are encouraged to be detailed and specific with respect to their personal situation.

A student cannot participate in tryouts if they are on any other Fall sports team at any level at Cal High until that sport's season concludes (i.e., there are no further games or practices).

• Example - a student is on the Junior Varsity Flag Football team, which has not yet concluded its season when Soccer tryouts are held  Therefore, the student should still register for tryouts and obtain the medical and athletic clearances, but cannot participate in the Soccer tryouts.  The student can - but is not required - to attend and observe if they are able to do so.

Students that are unable to actively participate in tryouts may be able to schedule a make-up tryout after the teams have been selected.  Approval and scheduling of make-up tryouts is at the discretion of the coaching staff.

Tryouts are typically during one week at the Cal High stadium or another venue in San Ramon.  The schedule will be published in late October.

Tryouts will be conducted rain or shine unless there is severe inclement weather.

Students are expected to attend all days unless otherwise excused, and must check-in each day with the parent volunteers to log their attendance and receive a numbered pinnie.  Pinnies are returned to the parent volunteers after each tryout session.  Students are highly encouraged to arrive early enough to both check-in and be properly attired and ready to go before their scheduled start time.

Important: Student's Athletic and Medical clearances are also checked by the parent volunteers at tryout check-in, using a hardcopy of clearance status from the Athletic Clearance system from that day.  Students cannot participate in tryouts without these clearances in place.  Refer to the FAQ on this page for instructions on how to obtain these approvals.

Tryouts include warm-up and stretching, running, individual and small group drills and activities, and simulated games / scrimmages.

Students are expected to bring the following to each day of tryouts:

• Cleats or turf shoes

• Shinguards

• Inflated soccer ball

• Soccer attire - socks, shorts, shirt (does not need to have a number or name)

• Water bottle

• Backpack / duffle bag for equipment and personal items

• Goalkeepers should bring their goalkeeping gear - goalie gloves, etc. 

Students should consider bringing the following to each day of tryouts:

• Layers - sweatshirt, sweatpants, hat, field gloves, etc., to adjust to the temperature

• Garbage bag or similar item in order to keep bag and personal items dry

Students should not bring the following to tryouts:

• Jewelry or other accessories of any kind (e.g., earrings, necklaces, watches, etc.)

• Earbuds / airpods, etc.

• Any club soccer-branded gear - includes attire, backpacks, etc. 

The Women's Soccer coaching staff directs all aspects of tryouts.  Students are being evaluated from the moment they arrive until the moment they depart.  The coaching staff meets as a group both during and after tryouts conclude to review the results and select the teams.

Several criteria are evaluated during tryouts, including but not limited to:

• Physical fitness / stamina

• Technical ability - e.g., dribbling, shooting, passing, etc.

• Understanding of the game - awareness on the field, positioning without the ball, etc.

• Communication - verbal and non-verbal interactions with potential teammates

• Professionalism, drive, desire, and hustle

The game and practice schedule varies by team and will be available in the Fall.

Generally speaking:

• Games and practices can be held any day except Sunday

• Each team could have 0 - 3 games per week, combined with 0 - 3 practices.  Specifics depend on the final 2025 - 2026 game schedule as well as coordination with the Men's Soccer program regarding their usage of the facilities.

• Varsity and JV games are 40 minutes halves / 10 minute halftime.  Freshmen games are 35 minute halves / 10 minute halftime.

• Practices are typically 60 - 120 minutes in length, specifics are determined by the coaching staff

• EBAL League games are played in January and February.  Varsity and Junior Varsity play back-to-back (4:30 & 6:30 PM) on Tuesdays and Thursdays.  Freshmen play at 6:30 PM on Wednesday and Fridays after the Men's Freshmen team.

• Non-league games are played in December - February.  Dates and start times will vary by team.

• The Program usually has no games or practices during the weeks of Christmas and New Year, but there may be exceptions 

The practice schedule for each team will be available on the Women's Soccer Google Calendar - you can subscribe to it using this link.

The 2025 - 2026 match schedules are available via this page on this website, the Women's Soccer Google calendar, as well as the Maxpreps website.  There is one page for each team on Maxpreps.

The 2025 - 2026 game schedules for each team are developed during the summer and will be finalized in November.  In addition to the 9 EBAL league matches, each team has an additional 10 - 12 non-league matches.  The Women's Soccer program strives to create a schedule that is challenging and includes a variety of opponents across the entire Bay Area.

Unless otherwise specified, all home games and practices are conducted in the Cal High Ernie Berger stadium on the Cal High campus

There is no guaranteed playing time on any Women's Soccer team.  Playing time is determined at the sole discretion of the coaching staff.  Determinants of playing time include but are not limited to, criteria such as:

• Physical fitness

• Attendance at, as well as performance / effort / desire / attitude / hustle in prior games and practices

• In-game situations (i.e., score, current lineup, opponents strengths and weaknesses, etc.)

Players are encouraged to speak with their head coach before or after practices with questions on playing time.

Early dismissal is not required for practices or home games.  Some away games do require early dismissal.  In these cases, the head coach will inform the affected players the day prior, and will work with the school's administrators to notify faculty of who needs early dismissal.

Cal High and the Women's Soccer Program do not have access to buses, vans, or other team transportation options.

San Ramon Valley USD (SRVUSD) mandates that students may not drive themselves or other players to away games.  Instead, carpools are arranged by each team's Parent Manager.  Carpool drivers must obtain a Level 2 Volunteer Clearance from SRVUSD in order to be a carpool driver - refer to the Volunteers section of the FAQ for more information. 

Admission is free to Cal High regular season home games.  If Cal High hosts a post-season NCS or CIF-North playoff game, those entities do require an entry fee to be charged.

Away games may require an entry fee, each school sets its policy for admission.

The Soccer program issues the following items to each player at the beginning of the season and all items must be returned at its conclusion:

• Game Jerseys - home and away

• Backpack

• Parka

Players must provide, and will keep, the following items:

• Game Shorts - color(s) and type varies by team and year

• Game Socks -  one pair White and one pair Orange

The Program will offer the opportunity to purchase spirit wear and Cal Hugh-branded practice / training gear.  Such purchases are 100% optional.  Details on where and how to purchase the game gear, spirit wear, etc., will be available in November.

The Women's Soccer Program relies on parent volunteers before and during the season for a variety of roles for all three teams.  Some of these roles obtaining a Volunteer Clearance from SRVUSD, whereas others do not.  Some examples include:

No Clearance Required

• Scoreborad Operator (home games)

• Announcer (home games)

• Tryout Check-in Kiosk

Level 1 Clearance Required

• Team Parent - works with Head Coach and Program Admin on uniform distribution, arranging carpools to away games, scheduling team photo day, etc.

Level 2 Clearance Required

• Carpool Driver - driving players to / from away games

Time commitment varies by role but is no more than a few hours per week for the roles requiring the most involvement.

For the volunteer roles that require clearance from SRVUSD, please utilize the following links:

1. 2025 - 2026 Volunteer Process Flow

2. SRVUSD Volunteer Homepage

3. 2025 - 2026 Volunteer FAQ

10 credits of Physical Education is available through the Athletic Physical Education (APE) process.  Students in grades 10 - 12 who compete in the East Bay Athletic League sports offered by Cal High are eligible. The request form must be completed and submitted by the last week of the league season in which the student participated.  Refer to the Atheltic PE page on the Cal High website for further information.