Valley soccer on a mission: Monarchs look at a 2025 Turnaround

After a tough 2024 season, the squad looks to rebuild and bring winning soccer back to Valley.

By Holdenn Graff, Sports Editor

Incoming Valley freshman Karina Guarderrama starting off with a bang showing off her shot power during the start of the spring training camp. (Alejandro Garcia for the Valley Star)

Offseason training is underway for Valley soccer, as the squad is putting their heads down and getting to work as they look to flip the script from last season.

After winning their first three games of 2024 to jump to a perfect 3-0 start, they did not win another game in the next three months. Finishing 3-14-4, the Monarchs went 0-11-3 in the south conference and landed in last place. Of the 15 teams in the Western State Conference, they were the only one that did not earn a conference victory. It marked the fifth consecutive season with a record under .500 for Valley.

“We didn’t really have a recruiting class in place, which was a big part of not having the talent to compete in certain games,” said head coach Jonathan Horst. “We’re trying to remedy that this year, [we’re] bringing in a lot of talented high school players. The whole goal is to get the talent level up and be able to compete.”

Despite a roster set to be filled mainly by freshmen, Horst still has faith in the newcomers to create an immediate impact. He noted that with only two years of JUCO eligibility, freshmen still have the skill to come in and compete at the same level as second-year players. 

“It's really just more so about getting the foundations of the culture of the program in place, which we did last year, and now adding to that [by] bringing in a slightly higher level of player to the core,” said Horst.

Valley goalkeeper Nina Diaz looking ahead and preparing for a new start during spring training. (Alejandro Garcia for the Valley Star)

A pair of freshmen from last year’s team, goalkeeper Nina Diaz and midfielder Keira Archer, viewed the season as a learning experience. They are excited to continue developing chemistry with the newcomers as the off-season progresses and provide all the support they can.

“Have fun, have so much fun,” said Diaz, stating her advice to the incoming freshmen on the roster. Defending the net in the majority of the squad’s games last season, she made 18 starts and collected 170 saves total. “Once you have fun and connect with the other girls, it comes together on the field.”

Archer, who appeared in 16 games last year and scored two goals for the Monarchs, emphasized the importance of the team getting ready physically much earlier on in the offseason. She explained that since many of the girls on last year’s squad didn’t join the team until later in the summer, it was hard for them to be adequately conditioned as the season drew closer.

“We didn’t have time to get in shape before [last] season,” she said. “I joined in August of last year, and we started the season in August. We’re focusing a lot on just getting in shape and getting comfortable with each other as a team.”

With a summer of training still ahead, the team continues to take shape and add new talent to the program. They know that success won’t come overnight but are hopeful that an improved recruiting class, newfound emphasis on fitness, and strong culture will have their trajectory back in the right direction when the 2025 season kicks off.