After enjoying some time off, young soccer players are brushing up on their skills before the seasons kicks off.

“This week Bishop Stang is running a camp for local girls as a pre-season warmup,” said freshmen girls soccer coach Amie Roach. “You get rusty. It’s just to scrape the rust off before the season starts.”

About 30 girls from Bishop Stang, Voc-Tech and New Bedford High School participated in warm-ups, speed drills and spent some time interacting with each other and the ball. The three-hour sessions were held from Monday to Thursday.

A large portion of the girls were juniors, but the camp was offered to middle schoolers as well. Coach Expo Duarte said it’s important for younger players to develop their skills first.

“You eventually can get into shape with conditioning. Skills are one of the fundamentals that needs to be mastered,” said Duarte.

For the older girls, it was the physical conditioning that drew the most ire. Jane Kuphal, 16, said that, after taking a month off, the hardest part about getting back into shape is all the running.

“I think I speak for everyone when I say that. Once you lose it, you lose it. You have to retrain for it,” said Kuphal.

She said that attending a sports clinic has a lot of perks, even if it requires players to run around outside in the summer heat.

“You get to know the girls. You get to be familiar with people. And when you’re playing with other people, I don’t think exercise is that bad,” she said.

Paige Silva, 16, who has played soccer since age 4, said the extra effort pays off for players when the season begins.

“We have to run two miles timed,” said Silva. “It’s definitely worth it because how much we need to be in shape. I see it toward the end of the season when we’re way above the rest of the teams because, when it comes down to it, speed’s definitely the biggest determiner.”

“It’s hot out, but I’m glad to be back with the girls,” she said.

“It builds our confidence and our communication skills. The junior class is the biggest portion of this team, so we’re already mending together.”

Coach Duarte said the soccer season will officially kick off at Bishop Stang on Aug. 27.