Tribune Girls Soccer 2017 All-Area Team
Player of the year: Sophia Serafin, Bishop Amat
The return of Bishop Amat striker Sophia Serafin instantly changed the landscape for the Lancers girls soccer team, who won the Del Rey League title and advanced to the CIF Southern Section Division 3 semifinals before losing a heartbreaker to Claremont, 1-0.
Serafin, who starred at Amat as a freshman and signed a national letter of intent to play at prestigious Stanford in the fall, missed her sophomore and junior seasons due to commitments with U.S. National youth teams and injuries, but she made the most of her senior season. Serafin led the San Gabriel Valley with 41 goals to go with 24 assists in helping lead Amat to a 24-5 overall record to be named the Tribune girls soccer player of the year.
Serafin had a remarkable game in the quarterfinals against Chaminade, scoring six goals in an 8-1 victory and was named to the CIF-SS Division 3 first team.
Joining Serafin on the girls soccer all-area first team from Bishop Amat are Nayeli Diaz (sophomore), named the Del Rey League MVP and defenders Isabelle Juarez (senior) and Nicole Diaz (senior).
Glendora, who shared a piece of the Palomares League title for the first time in school history, landed four players on the first team led by Texas Tech-bound forward Alexis Rushlow (senior), who earned CIF-SS Division 3 first team honors, along with Washington State commit Hanna Goff (senior), defender Blake Manke (junior) and goalkeeper Sarah Reyes (junior).
South Hills had three players on the first team, including Loyola Marymount commit Sage Robledo (sophomore), midfielder Madi Fortich (sophomore) and Texas Christian commit Madison Warren (junior), who was named the Palomares League offensive MVP.
Diamond Bar defender Kayla Pak (senior), West Covina’s Serina Vargas (senior) and Rowland’s Ruby Fernandez (sophomore) round out the first team. Vargas and Fernandez were named the Hacienda and Valle Vista league MVPs, respectively.
Coach of the year: Steve Jimenez, Glendora
Glendora made a splashy hire when it named Steve Jimenez to take over the girls soccer program. Jimenez previously had turned Sierra Vista into a small school power, leading them to the school’s first-ever CIF-Southern Section title in 2010, winning the Division 6 championship. And from 2007-16, his Dons teams won nine league championships.
In his first season at Glendora, all Jimenez did was lead the Tartans to a share of the Palomares League title, which was the first league title in girls soccer at history at Glendora. And he guided the Tartans to their deepest playoff run ever, advancing to the Division 3 quarterfinals. For his efforts, Jimenez has been named to the Tribune girls soccer coach of the year. The Baldwin Park graduate dedicated the award to legendary Braves football coach Tony Zane, who recently passed.
First Team
Forward: Nayeli Diaz, Bishop Amat, So.
Forward: Madison Warren, South Hills, Jr.
Forward: Alexis Rushlow, Glendora, Sr.
Forward: Serina Vargas, West Covina, Sr.
Midfield: Hanna Goff, Glendora, Sr.
Midfield: Sage Robledo, South Hills, So.
Midfield: Ruby Fernandez, Rowland, So.
Midfield: Madi Fortich, South Hills, So.
Defender: Blake Manke, Glendora, Jr.
Defender: Kayla Pak, Diamond Bar, Sr.
Defender: Nicole Diaz, Bishop Amat, Sr.
Defender: Isabelle Juarez, Bishop Amat, Sr.
Goalkeeper: Sarah Reyes, Glendora, Jr.
Second Team
Forward: Maddie Bivens, St. Lucy’s, Jr.
Forward: Karina Legaspi, South El Monte
Forward: Rae Perez, Diamond Ranch, So
Forward: Alexandra Jaquez, Bishop Amat, Jr.
Midfield: Charisma Benitez, Covina, So.
Midfield: Sydney Estrada, Glendora, Jr.
Midfield: Zitlali Jimenez, Sierra Vista, Sr.
Midfield: Isabella Valderrama, South Hills, Fr.
Midfield: Amy Bishop, Glendora, Jr.
Midfield: Jacky Gonzales, Nogales, Jr.
Defender: Delaney Donohue, Diamond Bar, Sr.
Defender: Brittany Kodama, San Dimas, So.
Defender: Alyssa Gutierrez, Nogales, So.
Goalkeeper: Kearra Bastes-Jones, Bishop Amat, So.
Final Top Ten Rankings
1. Bishop Amat (24-5)
2. Glendora (19-5-2)
3. South Hills (13-9-1)
4. West Covina (13-3-10)
5. Arroyo (13-6-6)
6. Covina (13-6-2)
7.Rowland (14-8-2)
8. Sierra Vista (11-7-3)
9. Nogales (14-5-4)
10. San Dimas (12-12-2)
League Champions
Baseline: Upland
Del Rey: Bishop Amat
Hacienda: West Covina
Miramonte: Pomona
Mission Valley: Gabrielino
Montview: Sierra Vista
Palomares: Glendora, Claremont
Valle Vista: Covina