The Gilroy girls soccer team rolled through the Blossom Valley Athletic League, Santa Teresa West Division and won the league title, their second such crown in three years.
Coach Javier Alejo’s Mustangs were 13-4-3 overall, 10-1-3 in league play and advanced into the Central Coast Section Division III playoffs.
“It’s my second year here,” coach Alejo said. “We want to build a successful program from the bottom up. Everyone has grown. A lot of girls have been excelling. The culture we try to instill is to work hard and have fun with each other.”
Kamryn Krejdovsky led the Mustangs with 13 goals and Lea Kim added 10, though offensive contributions came from all over the field. Kathy Carrillo was stellar with nine goals and 10 assists, Kiara Prophet scored six, Aliyah Garcia contributed seven assists and freshman Alexia Ceja had five assists.
The defense and keeper Brooklyn Epps shined. In the first 13 league games, culminating in a 3-0 shutout of Live Oak that clinched the league title on Feb. 13, the Mustangs allowed just 10 goals in a 10-0-3 bulldozing of the division.
After routing the Acorns to clinch the crown, the Mustangs gathered for team pictures.
“It’s all about our chemistry,” midfielder Hailey Moncada said. “All of us are close friends.”
Hannah Mason, Zinette Diaz and were among other key players in the middle. The defense ahead of Epps included Zinette Diaz, Marley Tubach, Jaslene Colon, Itzel Bocanegra and freshman Roslyn Hernandez.
Key contributions also came from Joselyn Guerrero, Leslie Arelleno and Avery Longanbach.
Moncada cited the midfielders’ two-play, with the defensive component hindering opponent attacks and fortifying the team’s back line.
“Our defense has basically stayed the same last two to three years,” Krejdovsky said. “That’s helped.”
And that’s just at the high school level. Team connections often go way back.
“A lot of us have been playing together since we were about 9 years old,” Garcia said. “Our counter attack is key. The way we switch defense to offense. We play through the middle. And we use our motto of ‘Get to the ball first’.”
The Mustangs’ season began with non-league victories over North Monterey County and Rancho San Juan, both with shutouts. Gilroy lost to Soquel, smashed Fremont 7-1 with two goals from Carrillo and then lost at Christopher.
Gilroy began league play with a 3-2 victory over Lincoln. The defense really shined in the next 12 games, allowing just eight goals through that span. And that charge resulted in the league title.
“Our goalie and our defense communicate and have structure,” coach Alejo said. “We find our midfielders and they find our wingers to score. Our midfield is primary.”
The Mustangs were on fire. They stifled Santa Teresa 1-0 and then beat Sobrato 4-1, with a three-goal showing by Krejdovsky. Gilroy then tied Prospect 1-1 and rocked and rolled past Willow Glen 2-1, Live Oak 6-1 and Silver Creek 2-1.
On the back half of the league’s double round-robin, Gilroy tied Lincoln 1-1 on the road and then crushed Silver Creek 6-1, highlighted by three scores from Carrillo. They blasted Sobrato 3-0, tied Prospect 1-1 and took down Willow Glen 1-0 and Live Oak 3-0. After the title clincher over the Acorns, Gilroy lost at Silver Creek 2-0.
In the Feb. 13 victory over Live Oak, Gilroy scored twice in the first half, both off the foot of Krejdovsky. The second was a highlight-reel play, with the senior midfielder maneuvering through two defenders and then unleashing a rocket shot just over the keeper and just under the crossbar.
Krejdovsky credited teammates Moncada and Garcia for their plays leading to the scores.
“We came out with energy tonight,” Garcia said. “Things really clicked.”
Midway through the second half, Gilroy got another. Carrillo sent a corner kick into the middle, where Kim connected with a header. Ceja corralled the rebound and found Kim, who ripped it into the goal for a 3-0 lead.
“Today’s game was Senior Night,” coach Alejo said. “The emotions were high and the energy was high. And we had the chance to clinch the title. At the start of the season, I told them our objective is to win league and go into CCS.”
After the regular season concluded, Gilroy moved on to the Central Coast Section playoffs. They were given a tough draw, as the No. 8 seed in Division III and opening on the road on Feb. 21 against top-seeded Aptos. The Mariners pulled away for a 3-0 victory and later captured the division title.
After the game, the Mustangs hugged and closed the book on the season. The tough loss did not take away the accomplishments of the year—a league title, great fun playing soccer and lifelong friendships.
