Morris/Sussex girls soccer: From Morris County to Argentina, midfielder finds her groove

Victoria Vinals uses WhatsApp all the time now. It's the easiest way for her to communicate with her mom Veronica, twin brother Francisco and younger sister Agustina in Morris Plains, as well as her father Ricardo, in Buenos Aires.

Vinals, a Parsippany Hills sophomore midfielder, relocated back to Argentina with her dad in July to pursue her dream of becoming a professional soccer player.

The 15-year-old had nine goals for the Vikings last fall. While also playing for PDA, she was scouted by representatives from the Argentine national team at a tournament in Florida. About a month after the event, Vinals was invited to a youth national team camp. They practiced on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, and a coach arranged for her to train with Club Atlético Platense for the rest of the week.

"I loved the team and the girls. They told me if I ever wanted (to return), the doors were always open," Vinals said.

The national team coaches "gave me feedback. They liked how I played, but I needed more playing time and more practice time."

Ricardo and Veronica Vinals proposed splitting up the family so Victoria could go back to Argentina, where she and her siblings were born. The family had relocated to New Jersey for Veronica's job when the twins were 5 years old. They learned English in school, and speak Spanish at home – even in Morris Plains – though Victoria admitted sometimes it's easier to text her siblings in English.

One of the most challenging moments so far was saying goodbye to her Parsippany Hills teammates, which she did first via text and then at a summer practice. Vinals also had a sendoff lunch with other friends.

"It's a lot of adapting, soccer-wise and out of soccer," she said. "I'm just trying to enjoy all of it. I learn stuff every day, because of the amount of time I'm at practice and because I'm playing more. I get new perspectives, too."

Vinals practices about three hours every morning, a mix of conditioning, mobility and actual work with the ball. She works out with the semi-pro first team – Vinals estimated her teammates are as old as 26 – and made her debut a couple of weeks ago. She was also rostered with the U-17 national team at a friendly against All Boys La Pampa about a month ago.

In the afternoon, she uses Time4Learning to homeschool. Vinals has also cheered her friends on livestreams of Parsippany Hills home games.

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Vinals isn't putting a time limit on her return to Buenos Aires, preferring to keep her options open. Though most people know Lionel Messi as the face of Argentine soccer, she said more women have gotten involved in the past couple of years.

"At my age, it's not just about the competition, but my development," Vinals said. "I'm closer to the national team. It's more accessible to me now. ... That was my dream. I wanted to be a professional soccer player. I definitely did not think it would be at 15. I also didn't think it would be the way it happened. I didn't believe it. It was kind of crazy."

Vinals is trying to blaze a new trail for girls in Argentine soccer, where youth teams are often mixed. Back here at home, Morris and Sussex county soccer teams dealt with weather and each other. Here are the latest weekly rankings.

10. West Morris (1-1-2)

Last week: Unranked

After playing just once in the first week of the season, the Wolfpack will have to pile up NJAC-American matches to catch up. They'll see Morris Knolls for a home-and-home five days apart.

Up next: Thursday vs. Morris Knolls, Friday at Chatham, Monday at Morris Knolls

9. Vernon (7-0-1)

Last week: No. 9

Sophomore Monica Curry, who set Vernon's single-season scoring record with 33 goals last fall, already has 23 – with hat tricks in the first seven matches. After opening the season with three straight shutouts, five of the nine goals the Vikings have allowed came in a 5-5 draw at Warren Hills on Saturday.

Up next: Thursday at North Warren, Saturday vs. Hopatcong, Tuesday vs. Sussex Tech

8. Villa Walsh (6-1)

Last week: Unranked

Senior striker Olivia Martin has 13 goals and four assists for high-scoring Villa Walsh, which has outscored opponents 33 to 8. The lone blemish on the Vikings' NJAC-Independence schedule is a 1-0 loss to division leader Pequannock on Sept. 18.

Up next: Thursday at Boonton, Tuesday at Kinnelon

7. Madison (6-1)

Last week: No. 2

The lone blemish on Madison's record is a 1-0 overtime loss to unbeaten Livingston, a Group 4 school, on Saturday. The Dodgers, who are in Group 2, will take on Group 1 Mountain Lakes, Group 3 Mount Olive and potential North 2, Group 2 foe Parsippany Hills this week.

Up next: Thursday vs. Mountain Lakes, Saturday vs. Mount Olive, Tuesday vs. Parsippany Hills

6. Morris Knolls (5-2)

Last week: No. 8

Senior Scarlett Brookes has nine goals for Morris Knolls, which boasts 11 players who have scored – and 15 with at least one point. The Golden Eagles visit West Morris on Thursday, and host their NJAC-American foes on Monday.

Up next: Wednesday vs. Mendham, Thursday at West Morris, Saturday at Kearny, Monday vs. West Morris

5. Pequannock (5-0)

Last week: No. 5

Pequannock senior Shayla Osmanski has six goals and four assists. The Golden Eagles have allowed only one goal, despite having junior striker Zoe Wizner in net for the first time since she was 8 years old.

Up next: Thursday at Dover, Saturday vs. Boonton, Monday vs. Dover

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4. Roxbury (5-1)

Last week: No. 6

Senior Juliana Osterman has nine of Roxbury's 15 goals, registering a point in all but one match. Senior goalie Aislyn Rivera has helped the Gaels earn three straight shutouts.

Up next: Wednesday vs. Randolph, Friday vs. Pope John

3. Chatham (2-1)

Last week: No. 1

Senior Leigha Matter has three goals, and three other Cougars have two each. After playing just once in the week of the season, Chatham will be playing calendar catchup for a while.

Up next: Thursday vs. Sparta, Friday vs. West Morris, Monday at Sparta

2. Randolph (6-0-1)

Last week: No. 7

Undefeated Randolph is tied with Roxbury atop the NJAC-National, with an opportunity to seize the top spot on the road on Wednesday. Junior goalkeeper Kate Sullivan and the Rams' back line have five shutouts, and only two goals allowed.

Up next: Wednesday at Roxbury, Friday vs. Montville, Monday at Pope John

1. Sparta (5-0)

Last week: No. 3

The Spartans head into this week off two shutouts in a row, 1-0 victories at Morris Knolls and West Morris. They've only had one home game thus far. With back-to-back matches against Chatham, this week could determine the NJAC-American champion.

Up next: Thursday at Chatham, Monday vs. Chatham

Also considered: Jefferson (5-2), Lenape Valley (4-2), Morristown (3-2-2)

This article originally appeared on Morristown Daily Record: Morris-Sussex girls soccer: Victoria Vinals finds groove in Argentina