All-Area Girls’ Soccer Player of the Year: Numbers don’t tell entire story of Gonzalez’s brilliance
Numbers do not tell the complete tale of Julia Gonzalez and the 2015-16 Flintridge Prep girls’ soccer team.
But they certainly tell an amazing aspect of it.
Gonzalez’ numbers were eye-popping, impressive and borderline unbelievable, but the true brilliance of her game and the Rebels’ season extended beyond statistics.
By the account of Flintridge Prep Coach Esteban Chavez, the Rebels’ success, which included sharing the Prep League title and advancement to the second round of the CIF Southern Section Division III playoffs, was surprising and ahead of schedule.
“I think we took the step I thought we were gonna take next year,” Chavez says. “They clicked early.”
Much of the clicking came with Gonzalez as the catalyst, her play equal parts creative, unselfish and unpredictable.
Just a sophomore, her game drastically improved from her freshman season and she formed a dynamically dangerous duo with freshman Helen Schaefer.
It all combined to lead to the most wins in a season (16) for the Rebels since 2011, Flintridge Prep’s first win against archrival Pasadena Poly since 2012 and a share of the program’s first Prep League championship since 2012.
And, of course, those ridiculous numbers: a school-record and area-leading 32 assists, along with 24 goals in 24 games.
All of that added up to Gonzalez’ selection as the 2016 All-Area Girls’ Soccer Player of the Year.
“It was definitely a lot of fun,” says Gonzalez, who was the Prep League Offensive Most Valuable Player and an All-CIF Southern Section Division III first-team pick. “Everyone improving, being able to see that, all the bonding. I think we can only get better.
“It was just nice to see our hard work come together.”
It was Gonzalez’ drive to improve on her game that fueled the hard work and eventually produced such phenomenal results.
Though overshadowed by the glow of such a sensational sophomore campaign, Gonzalez made a dazzling debut at Prep as a freshman, tying for the team-high with 14 goals on her way to All-Prep League and All-Area accolades.
“There was a lot of potential, but she just improved everywhere – tactically, technically, mentally,” Chavez says.
Fourteen goals is impressive to most, certainly in a freshman campaign, but Gonzalez concentrated her efforts on producing more.
“I remember last year, we had trouble on our finishing, so that’s what I was focused on,” Gonzalez says.
At the end of the season, Flintridge Prep had scored 90 goals in 24 games, as opposed to 55 in 25 games just a season prior.
With a team brimming with offensive options such as Schaefer, Mona Cesario, Katherine Pinney and more, Gonzalez was more than willing to dish it off as her stats are evidence, too, but her unpredictability and versatility truly proved to be a weapon.
“I think the one thing is she’s so unpredictable,” says Rebels All-Area defender Hanna Barakat. “During practice, it was always me versus her and I never knew what she had up her sleeve.
“Julia definitely has the timing down. She’s able to anticipate the situation.”
Of course, Gonzalez certainly wasn’t a one man band, as Schaefer’s addition was a historic one, with the freshman tallying a school-record 38 goals.
Having previously played together in club, the two did not take long to form a potent duo up top for the Rebels.
“They knew each other so well. They play together so well. They read each other so well,” Chavez says. “It’s amazing how well they click.”
It was a tandem of terrific that was at the forefront of what played out as a special year for Flintridge Prep.
“It was super fun. We got a lot of stuff done,” Schaefer says. “We’ve always been able to play well together, but this year we just clicked.”
With talent no doubt in place on the field, the Gonzalez-Schaefer combination was magnified by chemistry away from the pitch.
“Outside of the field, we’re really close friends,” Schaefer says. “We’ve gotten to know each other really well on and off the field.”
And, hard as it might be to believe, by all accounts, counting their goals and assists wasn’t a topic of choice.
“We don’t talk about the stats,” Schaefer says. “We don’t even pay attention to it. We just pay attention to the team and the games and what needs to be done.”
Says Barakat: “I know that when you put them together you can just see that they’re on the same page. They’re both two of the most selfless people.”
For Gonzalez, being selfless seems to be the first choice. As much as anything else, it could have been the chief reason Gonzalez had so many assists.
“I really look for the pass instead of the goal,” Gonzalez says. “I just look for the easiest way for us to score. Whatever’s best for the team.”
So it goes that the best for Flintridge Prep might well lie ahead with the Rebels graduating just three seniors.
Of course, duplicating the statistical splendor put forth this past season might be a tall order for Gonzalez or Schaefer, but the stats won’t tell the full story regarding improvement or team success.
“I see her getting better and better. She gets better and better every two weeks. She doesn’t miss a practice and she doesn’t miss five minutes of practice. She wants to learn and she wants to get better,” Chavez says of Gonzalez. “Obviously, who knows if she can put up those numbers again, but even if she gets five assists and 10 goals or whatever, she’s still gonna get better.”
Perhaps more than the stats or even the team success, this past season was one that was marked by a sense of potential realized and yet still more excitement for the future.
“Of course, I’m super excited,” Schaefer says. “I’ve only got two more years playing with her and we just want to take the team as far as we can.”
As successful as 2015-16 was for Gonzalez and the Rebels, as much as anything else, it was proof that the achievement of today is all the more reason to be excited about the promise of the future.
“It was nice to see our accomplishments,” Gonzalez says. “We thought we could go a little farther. We still have a couple great years in front of us.”
