Freshman Phenoms: 13 Standouts from SoCal Soccer Season

The California high school soccer season wrapped up this month with the CIF Regionals. The state doesn't have a traditional state tournament anymore so the regional crowns can be the de-facto title in most of these instances.    Prep Soccer provided an in-depth breakdown of the top performers from Northern California. Below is a look at the freshmen who shined the brightest from Southern California high school soccer during the 2024-2025 season.     The JSerra defender was All-Trinity League First Team as a freshman. She quickly became an invaluable piece for the JSerra squad in her rookie season. Impossible to take off the field due to her timely defense and standout play, Saur solidified herself as one of the top players in Southern California in 2028 class against some of the best competition in high school in the country. [player_tooltip player_id='316244' first='Kaylee' last='Hanna'] also also a standout from JSerra as a freshman      Acosta finished her freshman season with 49 goals scored, which was good for Top 20 in the nation (according to MaxPreps) and top three in Southern California. She was the top scorer for freshman during the season. The Mexico Youth National Team player dominated every time she stepped on the field. She scored nine goals in one game, as she made quite the impression in her rookie season. Acosta is a left footed forward with speed, skill, and strength. She displayed all of that against older competition with her consistency to find the back of the net even when surrounded by multiple defenders. She's clearly going to be one of the top talents in Southern California for the next few years as she was already unstoppable as a freshman.      Villalpando was Metro League All-Conference Second Team. She emerged as one of the top talents from San Diego. She finished her rookie season with 14 goals and six assists in 19 games. Villalpando played as the center forward for Mater Dei. She's not the tallest player on the field so she had to battle a lot against older competition. She did well using her body and holding off defenders with her strength. She has a good first touch and looked comfortable playing with a defender on her back. Villalpando had a great freshman season, but it seems like she is just started to scratch the surface for her potential. She has the tools to be the top attacking talent in San Diego from the 2028 class.      Bott was the starting center midfielder on the top High School team in the country during the Winter. Santa Margarita relied on their freshman star and she put together her best performance in the CIF SS Championship game against Santiago (Corona). Sublime with her passing and positioning, there was hardly a moment in the game when you didn't notice her standout play. Her set piece delivery was another strong point of her game as she created a number of chances for SMCHS with her accurate service from dead ball situations. Bott has been part of the US Youth National Team and KC Current ID events so the future is incredibly bright from the youngster.      Boles was a standout for the Santiago (Corona) team that battled against SMCHS in the CIF SS Championship and then again in the CIF Regional title. Boles had some key moments during the season including some game-winning goals and multi-goal performances. She showed against SMCHS her quality against the top talent in the state. She's a high-activity, physical, skillful attacking talent. She can play as a forward, support striker, or attacking midfielder. She's a tireless runner and willing presser. There's definitely an aspect of Morgan Weaver's game to her player profile. Boles plays for Future FC 08, so she is playing up an age group at the club level and that experience helped her get ready for a stellar freshman campaign.      Fuller was the best freshman goalkeeper in California this season. She was a major reason why Bonita Vista enjoyed such a successful season and should be so excited about the future. The saves that Fuller pulled off in the biggest moments clinched the result in so many games for her team. She is absolutely fearless and willing to throw her body into danger to stop a shot. She's a tough player too. She hit off the post a few times making saves, but I don't think she ever came out of the game. Fuller was credited with 153 saves on the season according the thestarnews.com. Bonita Vista finished the campaign as CIF Open Division Finalists.      Pfeiffer is a standout for Slammers Koge so it's no surprise that she was immediately one of the top freshman in the state with her play for Oaks Christian. The shock came in the role that she played during the postseason run for that team. It looked like she utilized at the No. 9 spot. Pfeiffer rewarded her coaches with nine goals and four assists in her rookie campaign. Her contributions went beyond the stats. Her pace threatened the opposition and spread the field for her team to open up passing lanes. She was instrumental to her team's success this season.      Chao was one of the top performances on the Harvard-Westlake side this season. Capable of playing in the center or out wide, the freshman forward found success against some of the defenses in the state. She was a veteran in her goal poaching quality. She would get into the right spots of the ton-touch finish and did well getting on the end of crosses. Chao's physical nature made life difficult on defenders and showcased her potential for the next level.      Burris was named to the Metro Mesa All Conference Second Team for her stellar rookie season with Eastlake. The forward immediately made a mark on High School soccer with her blazing pace and highlight reel finishes. Burris punished the defense with her speed and unleashed some rockets with her powerful shot. She loudly announced herself as a top talent to know from this class.     Torrey Pines won the Division II CIF Regional Championship. It was a storybook year for the program that relied on depth on the roster as well as key contributions from every class. The freshman group was a talented bunch. Isabella Forrester's activity in the attacking third contributed with some key goals. [player_tooltip player_id='274290' first='Ava' last='Guimond'] had some stellar games defensively and [player_tooltip player_id='316236' first='Brooklyn' last='Schwartzberg'] used her pace on the wings to create chances for her side.      Lisak had a freshman season for the record books. CIF Division IV champion, Second Team All-CIF San Diego, and scored 36 goals. She was one of two freshmen to make the All-CIF San Diego team. Lisak, for lack of a better phrase, looked better than her competition. She played as one of the forwards in the Tri-City attack. She did a bit of everything. She obviously scored a ton of goals, but she also created chances and initiated the attack with her hold up play. She has a good first touch and a great feel for the game - it shows in how she anticipates defensively to create chances with her press. Lisak was an aerial threat too - from the run of play and set pieces. She's going to be a top one to watch from San Diego in the 2028 class.      Olivo is the biggest surprise from the high school season. She plays for a local club in San Diego and is not on one of the National Leagues. She earned a spot on the All-CIF San Diego Second Team, one of two freshman to do that. She wore the captain's armband for her high school team toward the end of the season. She played in the center of the field and did a bit of everything for her team. She took over the game a lot of times for her team. Olivo's impact during this season was undeniable.      Technically not part of Southern California in the CIF breakdown, but the Bakersfield Christian deserves the spotlight anyway. The star center forward for the team lived up to lofty expectations. She's an incredible talent with her close control of the ball combined with elite burst. It wasn't a one-player team though. Fellow freshman Jenna Adams was also outstanding for Bakersfield Christian. A two-way player out wide, Adams made a name for herself with her rookie season.

The California high school soccer season wrapped up this month with the CIF Regionals. The state doesn't have a traditional state tournament anymore so the regional crowns can be the de-facto title in most of these instances.