The varsity girls soccer team had quite the season this year and a rather impressive one, to say the least. The girls started their season with a brand new coaching staff and 7 new players being added to their roster. Their practices began in October on alternative fields while waiting for their home field to be seeded.
The girls had their first game against Bourgade Catholic, however this game was not overlyrhallenging. The girls came out on top, mercy ruling Bourgade 8-0 with two goals a piece from juniors Emma Malmin and Abigail Stipp. Freshman Tatum Mitchell, sophomores Sydney Paschich and Kahiwa Kaahanui, and senior Abi Higgins each scored one goal. This game was an opportunity for the girls to bond and for the new coaches to see how their players play together.
Two days later, the girls had their first event of the season, a tournament taking place at ALA Ironwood. The girls played seven total games in the span of three days, taking second place in the tournament overall. The first game of the tournament was on November 30th, the girls took on Apache Junction and beat them, 4-1. The next day was a rather miserable day for the girls, their first game was at 8 am and the temperature was around 50 degrees. Despite the cold conditions, your varsity girls came out on top against the Westwood Warriors, 2-0. The girls then got a break before their next game of the day at 1 pm, this was another 2-0 victory for Valley against the Sierra Linda Bulldogs. Those two games would conclude the second day of the tournament, with the Trojans receiving the number one seed on the bracket going into the playoffs. The final day of play would consist of three games in a row. The first game was at 8:50 am and it was a tough game, both teams were exhausted, but Valley managed to put one goal away, coming out on top 1-0. The next game was against ALA Ironwood, and the varsity girls drove past them 4-2. It was now time for the last game of the tournament, the championship against ALA West Foothills. This game was a close one, with both teams tired from the non-stop soccer the last few days. The game went into overtime, with neither team scoring during extra time, ending added time still tied 4-4. That led to a penalty shootout to determine the champion. Unfortunately, Valley girls soccer fell short, and were unable to put away their PK's, resulting in a second place finish. All of this was one busy week full of soccer, with a total of 8 games in one week.
The next week was no different, the girls had one regular season game followed by a tournament. The girls were rather beaten and bruised from the previous week's games, but that did not stop them from shutting down Madison Highland, 5-1. The tournament following this game was not as impressive, with many starters being hurt and unable to play. The Trojans fell short in all three games of that tournament - losing 0-1 to both Thatcher and River Valley and 0-4 to Mohave.
Up next, the girls traveled to Thatcher on December 13th. Unfortunately, they fell short, losing 0-5. Later in the week on the 16th, the girls hosted Pusch Ridge, which was a very tough battle. Our girls team was missing a very key player and were unable to pull though, losing 1-2.
On Wednesday, January 3rd the girls started the new year with a win against Tempe Prep with a score of 4-1. With another Saturday game that week, the girls prepared to play Northwest Christian Schools. The girls knew going into this game that it would be a difficult one, knowing that the Valley Christian soccer team has not beaten Northwest in almost 20 years. The girls tried their best but ultimately fell short 0-7. This game would start a difficult losing streak for the girls.
On Friday, January 12th the girls played Arete Prep at home and fell short 2-4. Arete had a very key player who put away all four goals for Arete. The next week, Valley took on Veritas Prep on Wednesday the 17th, but fell apart completely, losing 1-6. After that loss, our girls really were striving for a win against Chandler Prep. This was a very important game for the Trojans due to an ongoing rivalry with the Titans. Your Valley girls came out on top, 2-1, but not without the multiple yellow cards and red cards given to both teams. This would be challenging for Valley, as they would be missing two key players for the next game against Gilbert Classical Academy. Without the full team the girls fought hard against the Spartans, but they could not pull through, losing 1-3.
The last two weeks of regular season soccer games were a pleasant surprise. Valley took on Horizon Honors with a new lineup, that would end up working better than the previous ones. Valley took Horizon Honors by storm, beating them 7-1. The next game on January 30th was Senior Night against Rancho Solano Prep. Valley really gave it their all and pulled out on top 3-1. Senior night was a rather emotion night with the fact that there are 6 seniors who will be graduating this year.
The win against Rancho Solano sealed their rankings for the playoffs and the girls got to travel all the way to River Valley, driving a total of 10 hours round trip. Our girls were very excited for this road trip yet somewhat nervous for the game since earlier in the season they fell 0-1 to this same team. Your Valley girls took them by surprise, winning 6-2. This game was a fun one to play for the girls regardless of the other team's fans heckling them. This game was played in a dome, which was a new experience for most of the girls, and it is safe to say they enjoyed it. The girls were very excited about this win, but that excitement started fade when they found out who their opponent would be for the first round of the playoffs.
Valley had to once again play Northwest Christian. The girls were very nervous for this game and most of them did not have any faith in their team. However, once at the field, the girls' spirits started to raise. After falling 0-7 to Northwest earlier in the season, your Valley girls were determined to do better. They battled exceptionally hard, taking Northwest into overtime with a tie of 1-1. This was a big deal to both teams as Northwest though that this would be an easy win. It is safe to say that Valley gave them an unexpected battle. Unfortunately, Valley fell short in overtime and their season was now over. This was an emotional game for the entire team as this would be the last time the team would be playing with this strong group of seniors. Overall, the season did not end how they had hoped, but given that they had a new coach and many new players, they learned a lot and grew as a program.
Some Season Stat Highlights:
