After an impressive finish in the ALA Battle of Ironwood Tournament, the girls soccer team was ready to begin their regular season and their region games. The first game took place on a Saturday at home, versus Pusch Ridge Christian Academy (PRCA). PRCA is currently ranked 7^th in 3A with a record of 11-4-2. Valley's girls soccer team fought hard and pushed through the game with the absence of a key player. Ultimately the Trojans fell short with a loss of 2-1. Junior Libby Juist commented that she was rather proud of her team's perseverance. Juist shared, "we started the game off super strong and played hard against their best player. Quite a few of us were stretched outside our comfort zone and had to play new positions, but we adjusted well and played to the best of our abilities until the end of the game."
 
On Wednesday, January 3^rd, the girls soccer team had their first region game against Tempe Prep. The Tempe Prep Knights are currently ranked 32^nd in 3A with a record of 1-7. This was not a particularly challenging game for the Trojan ladies. They came out on top with a score of 4-1 with a goal from junior Layla Heller and a hat trick of the remaining goals by junior captain, Abigail Stipp. Stipp reflected on this game by saying, "we came out hot and dominated from the start, took lots of shots, and advanced down the field skillfully with wall passes! Overall, it was a great performance from all the girls! I'm so proud of them!"
 
On Saturday, January 6^th the girls traveled to Northwest Christian Academy. Northwest is currently 8-1 and is ranked 2^nd in 3A. The Trojan ladies knew this would be a tough game, as Northwest is always a fierce competitor. The game ended in a disappointing loss of 7-0. At the end of the day, Northwest was the better team, but the Trojan ladies still fought hard.
 
Friday, January 12^th, the girls had their first region home game against Arete Prep. The Arete Prep girls soccer team is ranked 5^th in 3A. The Trojans fought hard for the entirety of the game. Arete had one player who was exceptionally good putting away four goals. Valley was able to put away two goals of their own; however, they ultimately fell short 4-2. The Trojan goals were shot by junior Layla Heller and sophomore Sydney Paschich who had a beautiful a 60-yard goal. Freshman Tatum Mitchell fought so hard she earned herself the "Player of the Game" title. When she learned this news, she was rather excited and shared that she was proud of her team regardless of the outcome.
 
The girls soccer team still has a few games to go and are fighting hard. They currently are ranked 18^th in 3A and have the opportunity to go to playoffs to compete for state.
 
Come out and cheer on your girls team on Tuesday, January 30^th at 4PM to celebrate their senior night!