Through rain or shine, San Joaquin County prep girls’ soccer teams have left it all out on the field during their non-league play of the 2022-23 season.
Currently, four area teams are ranked in the top 20 of the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section. From Valley Oak League’s No. 4 ranked Manteca to the rising star from San Joaquin Athletic Association in Stagg, find out which teams to watch this season.
Ahead of league play, The Record has compiled a list of the top 10 girls’ soccer teams in San Joaquin County early in the season.
(The teams are listed in alphabetical order)
Coming off of its first-round loss in the CIF Division III NorCal Girls Soccer Championship on March 3, Lincoln hopes to return this season. Led by senior forward Kamaria Hughes, the Trojans have a 3-2 overall record, with wins against Bear Creek, Edison, and East Union. Hughes averages about two goals per match and has scored 11 points so far for her team.
Hughes is a newcomer to Lincoln after the school graduated 10 seniors in the spring of 2022. The Trojans are looking to recreate that dynamic team from last year with different role players including Hughes, senior middle forward Mikaela Monzalvo, and junior forward Milanya Marchesotti. League play starts on Jan. 3 for the Trojans, but they have a couple more tournaments on their schedule to beef up their record.
Ranked No. 13 in the SJS, Lodi hasn’t lost a game yet with a current record of 4-0-1. Last season, the Flames didn’t make a playoff appearance and from the start of this season, they look to change that. So far they have beaten East Union twice, Lathrop and Bradshaw Christian.
While Lodi doesn’t have a standout player offensively, it has a handful of players who can score when needed. In its 7-0 shutout win against Lathrop, four different players scored a goal with sophomore Jocelyn Maldonado leading with two goals. The Flames will look to build off their team’s success in their T-CAL league opener against Lincoln on Jan. 3.
As reigning VOL champions, the Buffaloes already have a reputation of dominating in the SJS. Led by senior Cameron Silva, Manteca has an overall record of 8-0-1. Silva is a key offensive player who averages three goals a match and has scored 27 goals this season. The Buffaloes’ facilitator on the field is Alexia Alva. She leads the team in assists per match and total assists, 11.
So far, Manteca has notable wins against Ripon, Venture Academy, Edison, and Half Moon Bay. The Buffaloes have been battle tested as they faced the SJS No. 1 ranked team Gregori on Dec. 17. Silva scored all four goals in the 4-4 tied match with the Jaguars. Manteca will open up league play on Jan. 6 against East Union.
Ripon is returning as a dominant force hailing from the Trans Valley League. It’s already off to a solid start beating East Union, Tokay, and three other opponents to start the season 5-3-2. After losing in the quarterfinals of the SJS Division 4 Girls Soccer Playoffs to West Park last season, the Indians are hoping to redeem themselves.
A key to making a deep postseason run is sophomore Olivia Maragos, who is their biggest offensive contributor. Just 10 games in and Maragos is averaging four goals per match and has been unstoppable for the Indians. Ripon has three more games to stack up wins ahead of its league opener on Jan. 10 against Livingston.
Unlike the other 209 teams, Ripon Christian is one game into league play in the Southern League. The Knights have gotten off to a strong start beating Mariposa County 7-3 on Monday, Dec. 12, following their only loss of the season against Ben Holt College Prep Academy. Juniors Dayna Koolhaas and Tara Heida have helped get their team off to a successful start.
Heida has made 21 saves and caused two shutouts this season, making her a defensive weapon for the Knights. Offensively, Koolhaas has stepped up as their main scorer averaging 1.4 goals per match and close to an assist per match. With Heida and Koolhaas leading the charge, Ripon Christian aims to become the back-to-back Southern League champion.
Sierra has a 6-2 overall record and is ranked No. 11 in the SJS. The Timberwolves finished second in the VOL last season and in the quarterfinals of the SJS Division 3 Girls Soccer Playoffs. This year, some of the faces of the team may be different, but the goal is the same: To make a deep postseason run.
Running the show this year is sophomore Hailey Cruz and four-year varsity goalie Annika Beal. Cruz averages about two goals per match. Her best match so far came against Weston Ranch on Dec. 9 where she scored three goals to help Sierra win 4-2. Defensively, Beal leads the charge with 55 saves this season. She has only allowed eight goals in the past eight games.
The Delta Queens are on a mission this season as they aim for the SJAA championship following their second-place finish last season. Opening up their non-league season with a 4-3 overall record, Stagg is already on the right track.
Some of Stagg’s notable wins are against Argonaut, Calaveras, and Summerville. Its most recent win on Monday, Dec. 12, was its highest-scoring match. They beat the Mustangs 5-1. Led by head coach Robert Ruiz, the Delta Queens have one more non-league matchup against Mountain House. League play begins on Jan. 4. Stagg will take on a familiar foe in Franklin.
Tokay has completely turned its record around after finishing last in the T-CAL and only winning two games. Freshman Nena Guzman has helped lift the Tigers to a 5-2 overall record. Guzman set the tone for this season in Tokay’s home opener against Wheatland on Nov. 22. She finished with two goals and two assists to put the Tigers over the top with a 4-0 win.
Some of the other key wins for Tokay have come against McNair, Summerville, and Galt. Its two losses came from Ripon and Monterey Trail, who is the No. 25 ranked team in the SJS. With help from Guzman and the rest of the Tigers, taking on loaded T-CAL opponents should turn out better than it did last season.
Similar to Lodi, Tracy has yet to drop a game with an overall record of 3-0-1 this season. The Bulldogs’ only tie this season was a 3-3 finish against Kimball on Monday, Dec. 12. Their wins have come against Freedom, Turlock, and Mountain House. The most impressive of the three wins was against Mountain House where seven players scored at least one goal.
Sophomores Jasmine Zapien, Alina Mahiddin, and Bayli Brown led the Bulldogs to a 10-0 victory against the Mustangs. They each scored two goals. The three underclassmen will continue to play an essential role in Tracy’s offense for the remaining two non-league matches and the T-CAL. Tracy will host Tokay for its league opener on Jan. 3.
With an overall record of 3-3, Venture Academy is a team that is on the rise in the area. The Mustangs are coached by Angelo Castillo and one of his ways is to prepare his team by having a strong non-league schedule. The Mustangs have taken on Manteca and St. Mary’s ahead of league play. Despite losing both matches, it helped prepare them for the rest of the season.
Some of Venture Academy’s key wins were a 1-1 shootout win and a 2-0 win both against Chavez. Having matchups with teams from the VOL and SJAA will help prepare the Mustangs for the Central California Athletic Association. At 3-3 overall, the Mustangs will need to pull out some wins to not go under.
Record reporter Shannon Belt covers sports. She can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @ShannonBelt3. Support local news, subscribe to The Stockton Record at https://www.recordnet.com/subscribenow.