Paulina Llamas was playing soccer by the time she was 5 years old, and there were early signs of her talent.
“My dad is a big sports guy. He saw me kick with my left foot, and he said it was a unique thing he’d never seen before,” Llamas said. “He told me, ‘You know what? You’re going to play soccer.’”
Christopher High’s girls program is glad that she did.
Llamas has been a driving force behind a fast start for the Cougars, who are 6-3-2 overall and 2-1-1 in the Monterey Bay League Gabilan Division. The sophomore forward leads Christopher with eight goals, and she’s tied for the team lead with three assists.
What makes her so prolific?
“Touch,” Cougars coach Chip Beardsley said. “She has excellent touch on the ball. If you watch her, she’s very comfortable on the ball, she’s quick (and) she’s strong. She’s one of those people you want to build a team around.
“She’s the one who we want to find the ball. She’s going to make everybody else better.”
Llamas scored five goals in a span of two matches in December, including a hat trick during an 8-0 rout of Kirby on Dec. 18. She also tallied one goal and one assist in a 4-0 win over Pajaro Valley on Dec. 14.
Behind those performances is a player with a profound respect for the game.
“The things that soccer teaches me are responsibility and how to be fair,” she said. “It’s a great learning experience.”
Llamas said she is working to get better at moving without the ball.
“I tend to stand a lot,” she said. “If I don’t have the ball, I need to get it back wherever I am and try to score.”
Beardsley is glad to have a leader who might be her own harshest critic.
“I think she realizes sooner now, even before I say something, that she needs to move and find a different spot to get to the ball, and that’s impressive for a young player,” Beardsley said.
Christopher, in fact, is impressive for a young team thanks to several players.
Freshmen Vanessa Koontz (five goals) and Jamie Boutté (four goals, three assists) team with sophomores Alora Estrada (three goals), Carlene McPolin (two goals) and Yessenia Delgado (two goals) to offer the Cougars a strong nucleus for years to come.
Sophomore Paulina Sanchez and freshman Calysta Tyree give Christopher a pair of standout midfielders. Juniors Emma Morley (two assists), Anita Lopez (two assists), Alondra Villanueva (two assists) and Lauren Ginn (43 saves) also should be back next year.
“I love the look of the future,” Beardsley said. “We are looking very strong, and we have a strong junior varsity program also. But our freshmen and sophomores are not only making the team, they’re getting a lot of playing time at the varsity level, which is an amazing experience for them.
“It’s been excellent for these girls. I’m excited. I think we’re going to have a strong program for the next few years.”
Christopher has six freshmen on its roster, but youth hasn’t been an obstacle for the Cougars.
“We can be strong even if we’re young,” Llamas said. “Teams that are older than our team, we compete with them at the same level.”
