Grizzlies get back on track before heading into PCAL Mission Division action
Pajaro Valley senior Valeria Acosta is on the cusp of setting the school’s all-time record for career goals scored.
The Grizzlies star soccer player recorded a hat trick with three goals in a 4-0 shoutout win against cross-town rival Watsonville in non-league action Dec. 21.
Acosta, who has 14 goals this season, is currently tied with Jasmin Castillo who set the program’s all-time mark with 58 goals from 2016-2020.
Acosta said breaking the record would be a great deal to her because she’s looked up to so many players of years past. She remembers attending games before entering high school, taking notice of how great they competed on the pitch.
“It just means a lot being able to come here and set a record for myself, and set a record for others,” Acosta said. “Maybe someone could possibly beat it another time.”
Pajaro Valley head coach Kristian Flores said they continue to put in the work defensively in the midfield to create opportunities, but they always need somebody up top to be able to finish it off.
“[Acosta’s] kind of the tip of the spear, and she’s taking on that responsibility,” Flores said. “She has that killer instinct to be able to finish off opportunities like that. And the team is also kind of working for her to be able to make those plays.”
Acosta was coming off the fall season with the girls volleyball, which won the PCAL Cypress Division crown—Pajaro Valley’s first league title since 2009.
Flores said what’s also very impressive is Acosta’s teammates will step up when opponents begin marking her. That includes fellow co-captain Scarlet Gomez and Leslie Carrisoza, who can provide goals every once in a while.
Carrisoza has five goals and five assists, while Gomez has three goals and a team-best seven assists.
Other key players for the Grizzlies are Leilani Vazquez, Rocio Acosta, Jennifer Martinez and goalkeeper Kendra Rivas Vazquez, who is playing organized soccer for the first time.
“[Vazquez] is kind of that player that does all the dirty work and just gets stuck in,” Flores said. “Her presence is unknown until she’s not there. But we’re super glad to have her.”
The Grizzlies quickly turned their season around following a 6-0 loss to Soledad in non-league play Dec. 4. Acosta said at the time they were still getting used to each other’s tendencies, and they just didn’t have enough chemistry on the pitch.
But fixing that issue was no problem at all. The Grizzles (7-1) are riding a six game win streak with wins against Scotts Valley, Alisal, San Lorenzo Valley, North Salinas, Soquel, Monterey and Watsonville.
“[It’s] just showing up to practice because it’s a really big deal,” Acosta said. “If you don’t come to practice, we don’t really understand each other, we don’t play with each other as much.”
What also helps is the fact that most of the girls returned from the 2023-24 season. The Grizzlies saw just two seniors—Maria Licea and Maricza Rodriguez—depart from last season’s team.
Plus, the new players are starting to buy into the system run by Flores.
“I think we’re all really close to each other. Not even just in soccer, but outside of school,” Acosta said. “Even though we’re not in season, we still want to keep that connection with them.”
Flores echoed his star player by saying the players’ hard work in practice is the reason they’ve been able to turn it around.
“They understood that Soledad was a test for them, but also a little bit of a wake up call of that’s the level that we need to be at to be able to compete,” he said. “They’ve taken on that challenge, and so far have met it.”
Flores purposely scheduled games against potential Central Coast Section playoff teams the Grizzlies might face in the first round.
They finished with a 10-6-3 overall record, and placed second with an 8-1-3 record behind league champion Soledad in the Pacific Coast Athletic League Mission Division this past season.
Pajaro Valley qualified for the CCS Division IV playoffs, eventually losing to Alvarez in the quarterfinals.
Acosta and Flores said the goal this winter campaign is to win the PCAL Mission Division that includes Alisal, Carmel, Monte Vista Christian, North Monterey County, North Salinas and Pacific Collegiate.
Pajaro Valley kicks off the league season with a home match against North Monterey County on Jan. 6 at 3:30pm.
“Our hope is that we’re able to beat everybody in the first round of league play, then hopefully all the other teams take away points from each other and then we just keep going,” Flores said.
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