SOLEDAD — At the start of last week, the Soledad Aztecs girls’ varsity soccer team was in a position to firmly take over the top position in the Cypress Division. All they would have to do is beat King City twice and Pajaro Valley.
Due to their first meet being rescheduled, Soledad and King City were going to play each other twice a week. It didn’t go well for the Lady Mustangs, as they dropped both games. In the two games, the Aztecs outscored the Mustangs 11-1.
Last week Pajaro Valley and Soledad were tied for first place. With a rematch against Monterey happening Feb. 1, Soledad had to get through Pajaro Valley first. It was no contest for the Lady Aztecs, who won 6-1.
“We knew that tonight was going to be a crucial match because PV (Pajaro Valley) was in first,” said Soledad Head Coach Maria Zamora. “Now we move up to first place. And we know one of our biggest rivals is going to be Monterey High School. This game shows we have the potential to beat Monterey High.”
Soledad’s Sophia Martel, the best player in the Pacific Coast Athletic League, took over the Pajaro Valley game from the start of the match. She scored five goals in the contest, and now leads the PCAL with 45 goals — just four goals away from breaking the school record.
It was an excellent week for the Lady Aztecs team, which scored 11 goals and only gave up two. Soledad freshman Giselle Zepeda and sophomores Precious Aguilera and Jennifer Troncoso, who is on pace to have a 10-plus goal season, all scored this week.
With the Lady Aztecs moving into first place this late in the season, they have put themselves in a great position to capture their first league title since 2017.
Up next for Soledad was Monterey High, a team that not only beat them twice last spring, but also ended their season in the playoffs.
In a repeat of last spring, the Lady Aztecs found themselves being outplayed by Monterey. Unable to match the Toreadores’ speed on their turf field, Soledad lost 4-0.
“We started very statically,” Coach Zamora said. “Our reaction on turf was not fast enough. We will see them in 10 days at our stadium, and we need to make it count.”
Martel, averaging close to four goals a game, was held scoreless. It’s only the second time in her Aztecs career that she did not score a goal in a game she played in.
Now, the Aztecs will have 10 days to get ready for Monterey again as they will come to Soledad on Saturday, Feb. 12, at 11:45 a.m.
“We are treating this as a wake-up call,” Zamora said. “We will correct our mistakes and focus on our next games.”
Following the loss to Monterey, the Lady Aztecs bounced back and won against Seaside, 4-2, on Feb. 3. Soledad will next play Pacific Grove on Feb. 7, the results of which were after press deadlines, and Feb. 10 at Pajaro Valley before this Saturday’s rematch against Monterey.
