An 8-0 dismantling of Saratoga Feb. 13 ensured a wonderful end to the regular season for the Los Altos girls soccer team, with the senior night victory ensuring a SCVAL De Anza Division title for the first time since 2008.
The senior celebrations finished with parents telling everyone to throw up a number one to commemorate finishing first in the league, a memory that stood out for Los Altos head coach Jacob Valadez.
“There’s nothing better than that,” Valadez said. “It was just a great night in a really great season.”
Winning the league is something to be cherished, as the Eagles have only finished first four times in the last 20 years, according to Valadez. The team won the El Camino Division in the 2018-2019 season, but the last time it won the De Anza Division was in the 2007-2008 season, according to MaxPreps. Even when the team won the Central Coast Section Division I title in 2022, it didn’t win the league. The Eagles (12-5-2) finished with 28 points in the league, one point ahead of Mountain View (12-3-4).
“The seniors know it; they’ve been here four years, and they’ve never won the league before,” Valadez said of the importance. “They know it doesn’t happen all the time. Being in the moment for a couple of days before gearing up for playoffs has been really nice.”
Los Altos opened the scoring against Saratoga with 30 minutes left in the first half thanks to a goal from senior midfielder Kiera Gowers, who was left alone after a corner kick. Aoife Turner, a senior winger playing for Columbia University in the fall, scored four goals, with three coming in the second half. Turner scored a goal with 10 minutes left in the first half on a left-footed shot that went under the goalkeeper and trickled into the goal. Turner got her hat trick with six minutes left in the second half after she got past the backline to chase a long ball and scored. Five seniors scored on the night.
The 8-0 victory is the largest of the season, with the next closest an 8-1 win away also against Saratoga in December. The Eagles are on a seven-game winning streak, with the last loss coming in January against Archbishop Mitty.
Despite the impressive finish, the team has dealt with season-ending injuries to key players lately, with senior defender Kieran Harrison suffering an ACL injury against Mountain View and defender Neda Abedi recently suffering a long-term muscle injury. The team has responded and relied on players who didn’t see much time in the first half of the season, with the first-year coach proud of the team fighting through adversity. Valadez has emphasized development and becoming better each day, but being able to win simultaneously has validated his approach. While the players might focus on the results and watching the standings, the coaching staff emphasized having fun during training and getting their minds off just results-based thinking.
“I’ve just been really proud of the way that those girls have stepped up and bought in,” he said. “When all that comes together, it truly is the best of all the worlds where we can keep developing and get those wins as well.”
The team plays Sequoia away Saturday in the CCS Division I playoffs.
“With the group we have, there is no reason why we can’t win CCS,” Valadez said. “It’s going to be a challenge for sure. St. Francis, Mitty, some of these other teams we are playing against are very good, talented.”
