On Wednesday, January 29, the varsity girls soccer team defeated the Homestead High School Mustangs 2–1, marking the team’s first win in two weeks — and a shift in momentum. Going into the game, the Eagles sat in sixth in the De Anza League, with only two league wins against Gunn and Mountain View. However, the Eagles’ win over the Mustangs secured Homestead’s third-place rank in the league.
“We knew they were going to be super aggressive, so we all switched our mindsets,” freshman Rebecca Guting said. “Even though we’re a lot smaller than them and not technically better than them, we knew we could beat them with our speed and just our attitude.”
The Eagles came out of the gate determined, consistently hitting shots on target, making runs down the field, and stealing the ball back as soon as Homestead got possession.
“We dominated the entire first half,” Head Coach Jacob Valadez said. “It was the first game all season where my assistant coach and I saw the girls doing all of the things we had practiced all year long.”
With only six minutes left in the half, Los Altos secured a free kick after Homestead received a yellow card, and junior Bella Mariona sunk the rebound to put the Eagles up 1–0.
“It’s really exciting to see it all come together,” Anya said. “Everyone has more composure on the ball and is making great decisions.”
The Eagles went into the second half with a few players substituted due to minor injuries. However, they managed to hold off the Homestead offense until 10 minutes later, when a Mustang attacked to equalize the game. But the Eagles didn’t let up, responding less than two minutes later with a goal from Rebecca.
“Everyone was super excited after I scored,” Rebecca said. “This is my second goal of the season, but this one was definitely the best because we were tied. After I scored, we knew we secured the win against Homestead.”
The match ended the Eagles’ two-week spell of losses and ties. The Eagles now have a 3–3–1 record in the league, and a 4–7–2 record overall.
Despite this seemingly bad record, the Eagles have managed to put up some good scores against some of the best teams in the area, only giving up 2 points against the nationally ranked Saint Francis High School and a 1–1 tie to Leland High School last December.
“Part of what I do every year is create a preseason schedule that’s very difficult,” Valadez said. “Those all have Division I girls, committed to Stanford and UNC or other similar schools for soccer, so the girls are learning a lot.”
The Eagles are also adjusting to a lineup for the team this year, with the starting 11 players including 6 freshmen and 2 seniors.
“We have a pretty young team this year, so I think everyone was still getting oriented earlier in the season,” Anya said. “I think some of the games have been closer, and we should have won, but overall, I’m really excited about the trajectory of our team, especially after last night.”
“This season, the team’s culture is amazing,” Valadez said. “The upperclassmen have been great to the freshman and sophomores. They say, ‘I will try whatever you suggest,’ and then they compete and work hard. As a coach, that’s what you want.”
The Eagles will travel to face Los Gatos High School today at 6 p.m.
