Mia Bertoldi is a soccer player for Hershey High School (HHS). Bertoldi has been playing soccer for seven years; she is now a sophomore and has been playing for the HHS team for two years. 

Bertoldi’s first memory of soccer was playing goalie and barely being able to hold the ball. One of her first memories of playing soccer was playing with her recreational team and loving to attend every practice and game. After months of dedication and practice, she finally got the hang of being a goalie. 

Since her first season playing, Bertoldi has played multiple positions. One position she played for many seasons was midfield which consists of attacking and defense. She struggles the most with playing outside wing.

Bertoldi said, “Running back and forth constantly is very physically demanding.” She also mentioned that defense is a very frustrating position, because it can make or break a game depending on what you do. 

She has been playing club soccer for six years. Soccer with the school team is more challenging for the sophomore. “The schedule is more demanding, and I have to play with girls who have more experience and are older which challenges me,” said Bertoldi. 

The most tedious aspect of soccer for Bertoldi is conditioning and preseason. “Preseason is especially my least favorite,” said Bertoldi, “because it is so demanding and not playing real games takes a little bit of the fun out of it.”

On her club team, she has teammates that find her aggressive and intimidating. Bertoldi said that as you continue the sport, the game does get faster and harder, so being more aggressive is a necessity of the sport itself. 

Beroldi said, “I would rather have people find me intimidating than being intimidated by other older, stronger girls.” She enjoys the feeling of intimidation from other girls because it makes Bertoldi feel stronger and more confident in practice along with in games. 

She is considering playing soccer for college but is currently more focused on her education for the time being. “Playing college soccer would be something that I would love to do, but education comes first overall,” said Bertoldi. 

Bertoldi is not yet working for a soccer scholarship as she continues her focus on keeping up her good grades in school. Bertoldi plans to work for a soccer scholarship during her junior year.