WOODBURY — Having a set of designated teams that a team plays in its league each year could get boring. But with out-of-conference games, athletes play games against teams in different leagues, pushing a team to get out of its comfort zone.

This will make a team work harder to connect, communicate, and be able to learn more about each other. It will also give teams an idea of how the rest of their games might go throughout the season.

Starting next school year, Berkshire League schools in boys and girls soccer will have to play out-of-conference games due to Wamogo and Litchfield high schools combining into Lakeview High School. With one fewer team to play, two out-of-conference games will be allowed in each BL school’s schedule.

Before every game, some athletes, even myself, scout teams and players and how they play, trying to figure out who’s a threat and who really isn’t.

Nonnewaug sophomore basketball player Brady Herman has already had experience playing nonconference games – the Chiefs played Oxford, Wolcott, Watertown and O’Brien Tech this season – and how they positively affected the team.

“I love them personally,” said Herman. “It gives you a nice look on how you can compete out of your own league. The team can learn things from other teams.”

The Nonnewaug baseball team challenged itself in the nonconference schedule last year, and it paid off with a state championship.

Taking on out-of-conference games will boost the soccer teams’ confidence, fully showing the Berkshir League and other leagues what they are capable of.

“[Out-of-conference games] definitely could hurt our confidence if we play an extremely good team,” said junior soccer player Katie Farrell, “but an experienced team also can teach us a lot, and those benefits outweigh any risks of losing confidence.”

Even though you may not win every out-of-conference game, it will help a team learn what they can and can’t do, how to connect a little better, and maybe work on things that they saw they did wrong to prepare for bigger games.

Nonnewaug girls soccer this past season had a preseason scrimmage against Holy Cross High School. I played in this game, and since I was playing against friends of mine, I felt like I had to prove something.

We walked away winning that game, but I felt like other people maybe didn’t take it seriously because it was just a scrimmage and it meant nothing.

This upcoming season, out-of-conference games are going to be more than just a scrimmage — they may mean everything. It will allow boys and girls soccer to maybe connect with each other, and get outside of their comfort zone together as a team.

This is the opinion of Chief Advocate reporter Hailey Goldman, a sophomore on the Nonnewaug girls soccer team.