Girls soccer at San Dimas High School has stepped into the spotlight these past few years, and after training hard for their season and CIF, they won big in some parts of their season and came up short in others. The girls have jumped between Division III and Division I in the past four years and have continued to prove themselves time and again that they are ready for any opponent. More recently, they took the school’s first tournament championship and have had a record high of 8 straight shutouts. This program has been built with the help of past players, such as Ally Lemos, and is continuing to pursue greatness with its new roster. Although the end of the season didn’t play out well, the girls accomplished much more than expected when faced with new challenges.

After realizing that they were moving leagues, the girls knew that they had to get to work as soon as possible. With a quick jumpstart to their season, the team started with morning practices before school. Some mornings consisted of weight training, while others had fitness training which is when the girls ran the annual Cooper test. Freshman Grace De La Torres described her experience by saying, “It was very fun running the Cooper, I felt determined to run it and it was a fun, yet challenging experience for me”. After about three weeks of practicing as a team, they were ready to face their first opponent, Claremont High School. After a hard-fought game, Claremont ended up winning, but it was not for nothing. The team veterans felt that that was the best chemistry they’d ever had for a first game, and it’s clear that it showed in the rest of their season. Amid some tough games, on December 10th, the girls played in their rivalry game against the Bonita Bearcats, where they delivered a clean sweep of 3-0. This was a huge win for the team, and not only did it bring the trophy back to the school, but it also created a long-lasting momentum that helped deliver results in their upcoming tournament.

Every year, the girls participate in a pre-season tournament where they play high schools from many different leagues and divisions. This year, the girls were put up against DI and DII teams in the Roosevelt Tournament, and in every game, they were able to get results on the scoreboard, which eventually helped them get to the finals. However, the significance of this last game was riding on the chance that they could take home the first tournament victory in school history. After about 80 minutes of good competition, both teams ended in a tie and had to go to a penalty shoot-off to secure the win. With the help of their senior goalkeeper, Ashley Sandmark, the girls secured the program’s very first tournament win, which was a huge help in building their confidence for their upcoming league games.

With the recent changes in leagues, the team knew that they were going to be playing against increasingly difficult schools, and their goal for the season was to take the league title, just like in previous years. After two overtime victories, hard-fought games, and disappointing losses, the girls managed to snag the league title, sharing it with Alta Loma and South Hills. Although it was not exactly what they had hoped for, it was still a great way to show their dominance in the new league. A week later, they played in their first Division II CIF match and lost to Sunny Hills, 1-0. It was a heartbreaking loss, especially for the seniors, but senior captain Emily Duque had a positive outlook when asked about the season. “I think the best moments as a team were our pregame talks. It felt good knowing we all had one main goal, which was to win, and being sure we were all gonna do our best to achieve that goal. There wasn’t a time I doubted that each and every one of us was determined to win no matter what.”

All in all, the girls had an unforgettable season and left an impact on the school and their new league. Until next year, this is the 2024-2025 recap of our girls’ varsity soccer team.