She tore her ACL and will miss the playoffs, but coaches agree: She's still the MVP.
It’s been a banner week for the Golden Valley High girls soccer program.
The Cougars celebrated the school’s first outright Central California Conference title with a 2-1 victory over crosstown rival Merced in their season finale.
Two days later, Golden Valley learned it was a No. 5 seed in the Sac-Joaquin Section Division II tournament and would host Gregori in Wednesday’s opener.
Now, come the individual rewards for a historic season.
Senior Amenah Munoz was named the CCC’s Most Valuable Player, a small consolation to a season lost to devastating injury. Munoz led the Cougars (9-3, 13-5-3) with 15 goals, including six in conference play before suffering a season-ending ACL tear against Turlock.
She finished the regular season with 15 goals and four assists.
Munoz was joined on the first team by teammates Ariana Severo, the hero in the Cougars’ title-clinching victory, Bianca Ramirez and Melissa Molina. Jadyn Gong was the league’s Goalkeeper of the Year.
Severo beat two Merced defenders and then the goalie with about eight minutes left, slotting the game-winning goal into an open net. Afterward, coach Ashley Faraone marveled at Severo’s poise and touch, not just in that game, but down the stretch.
The senior forward had six goals and six assists in league.
"I’ve never seen Ari make a run like that. … She’s come up big the last couple of games since Amenah has been out. We haven’t spoken about it, but she knows she has to step up,” coach Ashley Faraone told the Merced Sun-Star following the match.
Faraone is the CCC’s Coach of the Year after guiding the program to its first league since 2013, when it shared the award with Turlock.
The Bulldogs (8-2-2, 11-3-6) came close this winter, finishing a point back in the final table.
Daisy Martinez was named the Defensive Player of the Year. She was joined by Kayli Wilson and Hailie Virden on the first team. Turlock is a No. 12 seed in the D-I tournament and opens Wednesday at No. 5 Folsom.
Turlock coach Cayla Donahue lauded the young Bulldogs for finding their bite late in the season. Turlock has won three straight.
"This is a young team,” Donahue said, “so I think they have been continuously maturing and learning how to finish a game."
Pitman’s Izzy Shallou Enes was the Offensive Player of the Year. The Pride finished third, despite having a chance to steal the outright championship on the final night of the regular season. A 2-1 loss to rival Turlock bumped the Pride down the final table.
Pitman coach Annabel Perez told the Turlock Journal injuries likely cost her team a chance at an outright title.
"We had big injuries the last couple of games and it kind of showed,” Perez said, "because we could have clinched the CCC a long time ago and we didn’t."
Jazzmin Garcia and Alexia Caballero were awarded first-team honors for Pitman (7-2-3, 14-3-4), a No. 7 seed in the D-II tournament. The Pride host St. Mary’s.
"It’s a fresh start,” Perez said, "and I know the girls are dwelling (on Wednesday’s loss to Turlock) big time, but it’s a new season in the playoffs. So the girls still have a chance to advance in the postseason and they are looking forward to it."
Merced’s Elsie Pellissier, Atwater’s Nitza Rodriguez and Buhach Colony’s Kiara Smith rounded out the all-CCC first team.
Those earning second-team honors are: Golden Valley’s Haylee Heffner and Kate Griego; Turlock’s Stephanie Zamora and Genesis Maciel; Pitman’s Gisella Barajas and Alicia Garcia; Merced’s Amanda Valenzuela and Haylie Espinoza; El Capitan’s Michelle Lopez; Atwater’s Elisa Barocio; and Buhach Colony’s Araceli Rodriguez.
This story was originally published February 19, 2018 at 1:28 PM with the headline "She tore her ACL and will miss the playoffs, but coaches agree: She's still the MVP.."