Diablo Athletic League Foothill Girls 2022 Preview

The Diablo Athletic League, especially the Foothill Division, gets lost amongst the top leagues in Northern California, because of the proximity of the schools to the East Bay Athletic League. However, this league contains powerhouse programs that win at a consistent level, are ranked highly, go deep in the playoffs and win titles. This league is going to be very compelling this season and should be well represented in the North Coast Section playoffs.   Acalanes   The Dons graduated some great players, players that went on to play college soccer. And this is off a team that won 20 games, a school record, last season, reached the NCS DIII final, losing a really close match to Branson 1-0, and made the NorCal State playoffs.   The Dons return 16 players who started matches for them last year, and have 11 seniors. Most of those seniors are playing in their third or fourth year on varsity and four of them were starters on the 2019/2020 title team. They also mix in some youth with seven sophomore and two freshmen.   "At the end of the day, we will go as far as our senior class takes us," Acalanes coach Nick Barbarino said. "We have a really great group of kids this year and we are looking forward to staying competitive after the past few successful seasons. (Moving up to) DII will be a challenge, but we feel confident going into the season."   All the seniors are important and talented, and there are six that will be very key. It starts with captain and Central Washington commit Tatum Zuber. She is a four-year varsity starter. She is very calm on the ball, she has a fantastic shot and is lethal from set pieces. When teams over commit to her, she will find her teammates. She led the team in scoring and assists as a freshman and then was second in goals and top in assists as a junior, after missing her sophomore year due to injury.   Jacque Peacock is a captain and a center back who is also a four-year starter. She is very fast and is phenomenal in the build up, especially for a central defender, and her 1v1 defending is top notch. She has great vision and ability to play direct to the front lines which opens up a lot of attacking options going forward.   Chloe Quintella, a captain, plays central midfield and can play centrally defensively as well. Another four-year starter, she is the team's engine. Traditionally she has played centrally in defense, or outside back, but will move to the holding mid spot this year. She is a stalwart when defending 1v1 and going forward has a great sense of positioning with strong vision and passing.   The fourth captain is Addie Bailey who plays as a striker or can play on the wing. She is very strong and physical, but displays great touch and finishing ability. She tied for the team lead in assists last season, acting more as a facilitator, but she will likely bang in plenty of goals this season.   Seniors Camryn Salazar and Emmi Cronin will also be key players. Salazar is committed to the University of the Pacific and played the No. 6 last year. This season she will be moving between the No. 8 or No. 10. She has great vision and her passing is excellent. She is also dangerous shooting from distance. Her best skill is making the simple plays that help the team retain possession and move forward. Cronin is a three-year starter who will play centrally in the midfield, or out wide. She is athletic and technical.   Acalanes also boasts four very exciting sophomore and a very exciting freshman.   [player_tooltip player_id='54236' first='Nicole' last='Nguyen'], who started last season as a freshman, scoring a pair of goals and handing out five assists, will play as a wide player or a striker. She is a gifted dribbler with an exceptional first touch. She has great ability of going at defenders 1v1 to create and open up opportunities.   Demi Woods is a strong 1v1 central defender who has great passing ability and vision. Alex Salazar is a central midfielder who works hard and is very strong on the ball. She has a great shot from distance and had seven goals as a freshman last season with limited opportunities. [player_tooltip player_id='54237' first='Taylor' last='Mikalis'] is a striker who is strong and physical who is very calm in front of goal. She also had seven goals in limited chances as a freshman.   [player_tooltip player_id='20286' first='Tatum' last='Keely'] is a freshman defender who is tall and physical. She has experience playing center back and outside back. She is very mature for her age, as she is calm on the ball and has the ability to push forward.   Alhambra   The Bulldogs were a really tough team last year, finishing just a point off the top of the Foothill Division and winning 10 matches. Their losses were to top teams, and they gave DIII champ Branson a real challenge in the semifinals, losing on penalties after a 1-1 draw. They were senior heavy, but do return Erika Salazar who was second-team all-DAL as a junior while Isabella Balogh and Bailey Wang were honorable mention as a sophomore and freshman last season. Athena Lopez, a captain last season as a sophomore, also returns.   Campolindo   Campolindo won the Foothill Division last year (Acalanes was in the Valley) and reached the DII semifinals, and made the NorCal playoffs. After a 13-win season, the Cougars are looking to replace 37 goals and 19 assists between the departed Colombini sisters. The Cougars did have three outstanding freshman a season ago as Mylie Jacquet and Maya Abughosh combined for nine goals and 11 assists and Mia Polichio was honorable mention all-league.   They also return first-team all-league selection in midfielder Collette Toubba as well as second-team selections Catie McCauley and Ava Garcia, who both play in the back line.   Clayton Valley   The Eagles had a tough schedule last season and missed out on the playoffs, but were a very good team. They graduate a lot of seniors, so this year will likely be reliant on Cassidy Baker who was an honorable mention selection last season as a sophomore.   College Park   The Falcons were another tough team last year that had a tough schedule and missed out on the playoffs, but were not an easy opponent inside or outside the league. Katelyn Crossman was a first-team all-league selection last season as a junior and will be returning along with fellow senior [player_tooltip player_id='19075' first='Ananda' last='Walker'] who was honorable mention.   Las Lomas   The Knights won 13 matches last season, losing just three times and reached the NCS Division II final before running into eventual runners-up Redwood. They boast one of the top players, if not the top player, in the league in [player_tooltip player_id='20043' first='Paige' last='Thompson'], who was Co-Defensive MVP of the league as just a freshman. She is a truly elite player who has played with the US Women's National U15 team.   Senior [player_tooltip player_id='19379' first='Emma' last='de la Cruz'] was a first-team all-league selection last year as a junior after scoring 11 goals and Priya Sibol was a second-teamer as a sophomore last year. Samantha Pierce and [player_tooltip player_id='19154' first='Ava' last='Mathieson'] return as important pieces as well for a team that should have high hopes and asiprations.   Northgate   The Broncos are looking to bounce back from a down season that saw them win just five matches. They return a pair of first-team all-league players in senior Sarah Santiago and junior Jules Colchico who should use their experience to help them have a better season in 2022/2023. Sophomore Kiera Lund should also be a key player.

The Diablo Athletic League, especially the Foothill Division, gets lost amongst the top leagues in Northern California, because of the proximity of the schools to the East Bay Athletic League. However, this league contains powerhouse programs that win at a consistent level, are ranked highly, go deep in the playoffs and win titles. This league is going to be very compelling this season and should be well represented in the North Coast Section playoffs.