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Santa Margarita’s girls soccer team looks a bit different on the pitch.
The two-time Orange County player of the year no longer pushes the front line. The back line shows more quickness in defense than height. And multiple freshmen could log heavy minutes.
The Eagles’ blueprint, however, remains a trusted guide.
The team enters its third season under coach Craig Bull confident in its approach even after the graduation of several key seniors, including high-scoring forward and player of the year Faith George, now at USC.
Building strong team chemistry and work habits remain the priorities for a squad that has won the past two CIF Southern California Regional Division I titles and reached consecutive CIF-SS Division 1 finals.
The returning players, who helped claim the CIF-SS Division 1 crown in 2023, seem to rank “heart” and “effort” as qualities equally as important as technical skills.
“Everyone has the same mindset,” Eagles junior Cora Fry said. “Everyone just wants to work hard. Even when we’re not playing the best soccer, together everyone works hard and gives their best performance.”
Santa Margarita will lean on senior captains Emma Newman (Richmond commit), Emily Davey (Oklahoma commit) and Natalie Leon (Central Florida commit) for leadership but the program builds chemistry by seeking contributions from players of all grade levels.
That philosophy will be on display for a squad that returns about five full-time starters in Leon, Fry, goalie Peyton Trayer, forward Jastel David and midfielder Emmie Nunez.
Freshman Ella Bott, Lauren Lim and Reagan Condon are all players to watch.
Sophomore Felicity Nguyen scored three goals in the first two matches this season.
“We are younger and with youth you get a lot of innocence,” Bull said. “I feel like there’s less pressure on them. They don’t care about pressure.”
But make no mistake, the team’s goals are still high.
“Our motivation,” Trayer said, “(is) proving to ourselves and others that we can do it again this year. We lost important people last year but we’re still a very strong team and our core is very strong. So it’s just doing what we did last year and trying to do it better and keep progressing.”
“Faith definitely set a high standard for us,” David added. “It’s all about the heart and all about the work. I think we will still got it.”
ORANGE COUNTY TOP 10
(Records through Thursday, Dec. 5)
1. Santa Margarita (2-0): The two-time defending SoCal Division I champion outscored El Toro and Pacifica a combined 10-0 in their first two matches.
2. Los Alamitos (0-0): Midfielders Zamorah Malinoski and Viviana Zacarias, along with goalie Avarie Gonzalez, make the Griffins arguably the strongest O.C. challenger for Santa Margarita.
3. Capistrano Valley (2-0): The Cougars boast 11 seniors, including Abby Haley, Sami Cole and Mia Balagot.
4. Mater Dei (1-0): Coach Matty West describes junior Valentina Labuschagne as a “dynamic” forward to watch. She scored a goal in a season-opening 5-0 win against Esperanza.
5. JSerra (2-0): The Lions have opened with victories against Aliso Niguel and Troy.
6. Huntington Beach (0-0-1): The Oilers feature a strong junior class, including Sienna McAthy, Solana Van Enoo and Olivia Young.
7. Orange Lutheran (2-0): The Lancers have started fast under first-year coach Luis Segovia, who also coaches club with the powerhouse Slammers.
8. Newport Harbor (0-0-1): The Sailors remain a dangerous Sunset League team with Sadie Hoch (Texas commit) and goalie Cooper Dick (Texas Tech commit).
9. El Dorado (2-0): The Golden Hawks have posted shutout victories against Rosary and San Juan Hills.
10. Troy (1-1): Alumnus Benjamin Rogers takes the coaching reins and the team has a goalie to watch in Ava de Leest (Boise State commit).
Others: Canyon; Crean Lutheran; Edison; Esperanza; Pacifica; Rosary; Trabuco Hills; Villa Park
TOP PLAYERS TO WATCH
Riley Crooks, Edison: The Texas A&M-bound senior earned first-team All-County honors last season at defender. In the fall, she was a standout in girls flag football.
Cora Fry, Santa Margarita: The Tennessee-committed junior brings versatility with her ability to play midfielder or forward.
Avarie Gonzalez, Los Alamitos: The athletic junior goalie is committed to Miami.
Sadie Hoch, Newport Harbor: The Texas-bound senior made second-team All-County last season.
Zamorah Malinoski, Los Alamitos: The Alabama-committed junior earned first-team All-County honors last season.
Ariana Markey, Orange Lutheran: The attacking midfielder and Pepperdine commit is a transfer from Troy.
Daphne Nakfoor, JSerra: The senior goalie and UCLA signee will help anchor the Lions’ defense.
Sydney Schuler, JSerra: The All-County senior midfielder is committed to Wake Forest.
Kai Tsakiris, Corona del Mar: The senior midfielder signed with Florida and hails from a strong soccer family.
Peyton Trayer, Santa Margarita: The All-County goalie committed to North Carolina in September.
Viviana Zacarias, Los Alamitos: The Colorado-bound senior shared co-MVP honors in the Surf League last season with Zamorah Malinoski.
NOTES
Stanford-committed junior forward Peyton Marinos is not playing for JSerra this season, the Trinity League school confirmed. …
The Best in the West tournament is Dec. 14 and 21. The top group includes host Newport Harbor, Capistrano Valley and Edison. The next group features Los Alamitos, JSerra, Huntington Beach, Villa Park and Orange Lutheran. …
The Foothill-hosted Excalibur tournament is scheduled for Dec. 26-28. …
The Massey ratings will be used to determine the CIF-SS playoff divisions. The section finals are scheduled for Feb. 22.
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