California Girls Player of the Year: Charlotte Kohler

Photo: Erick Chan

Matt Smith

March 23, 2023 @ 09:03 AM

A casual fan will look at inaction, or someone not being involved in the buildup of a goal as not impacting the game. But those who know the game look at inaction as not over-committing, and know that the player wasn't involved in the build up because they won a ball before the build up started.   [player_tooltip player_id='33296' first='Charlotte' last='Kohler'] is that type of player. Her impact in a game can sometimes go undetected. But rest assured that there is not an area of the game she's not impacting. With the prowess to move forward in the attack or track back in defense, Kohler can oftentimes be the first link in the chain that creates something special, and not receive the accolades for it.   "She's very under the radar in terms of people noticing her defensive qualities," St. Francis coach Carlos Barboza said. "Every time she steps for a ball or goes to win a ball, she gets her feet on it. She's great at picking those moments where she knows she will win the ball. She's excellent about analyzing when to pounce."   And for this reason, among many, the Stanford-commit, the Saint Francis junior and the MVLA 05 ECNL player has been chosen as PrepSoccer's California Girls Player of the Year.   Oh, and let's not leave out the fact that she plays for the United States Youth National Team's U17's and recently participated in the U17 World Cup in India.   Kohler is a ball-winner, she is defensively savvy, she can join in the attack, score goals and set her teammates up. She can literally do it all.   "She's just going to keep getting better," Barboza said. "She got a lot stronger from last season to this season, she's worked on becoming more explosive and strong. She's in tune with her body, she knows how to stay healthy, to get healthy and to stay fit."   Kohler was an easy choice for the West Catholic Athletic League's player of the year. She scored seven goals and 11 assists in league play and the playoffs, and beyond that her impact on the game was indelible. She's a versatile player, one that stands out as a No. 8, or a No. 10 and can play forward on either side. She's also a player that made great strides from her sophomore season to her junior season. Which says a lot because she was excellent last season.   "It was a completely different scenario coaching her as a sophomore to this season," Barboza said. "She was a little shy, timid and didn't really come out of her shell. But this year she did a lot of talking on the field. She became more of a leader and she found her voice. She also puts the team first and it is good to have people who are humble, who work hard and can keep the team motivated."

A casual fan will look at inaction, or someone not being involved in the buildup of a goal as not impacting the game. But those who know the game look at inaction as not over-committing, and know that the player wasn't involved in the build up because they won a ball before the build up started.