Abbamonto’s Sixth Sense Was a Cougar Advantage

For the last two seasons, Kim Abbamonto has been the key to the success of the Capistrano Valley girls’ soccer team. It isn’t so much her height, 5 feet 9, as some would have you believe; instead, it’s her talent.

Yes, she does stand taller than most of the players on the field, which helps her win balls on headers and knock in corner kicks with ease. But her ballhandling skills, field vision and leadership have made her The Times Orange County girls’ soccer player of the year.

A three-time All-Southern Section selection, she has the ability to see the plays before they develop and get the ball to her teammates on the attack. Playing middleback, she was one of the main components in the Cougars’ dominating defense, while adding pressure on offense by scoring 13 goals and assisting on eight others.

“Her ability to learn from big-game situations and to take from each of those games and bring those out on the field . . . it was like having a second coach out on the field,” Capistrano Valley Coach Jack Peterson said. “Many players try to lead and direct, but literally, when she does she is right almost 100% of the time.”

Almost every coach in the county, whether or not he or she has seen Abbamonto play, mentions her first when asked about the best player in the area.

“Kim has that skill that you can’t teach and you can’t describe,” Peterson said. “On defense, she goes in hard and tackles and she knows without question what to do and knows when to slow it down or pick it up. It’s her ability to think and know what to do before she does it. I don’t think most kids have that ability and that is what separates her. She knows what she is going to do two or three moves ahead of the play taking place.”

Capistrano Valley won its second consecutive South Coast League title, but the Cougars, top-seeded in the Southern Section Division I playoffs, lost in the final to rival Mission Viejo, 1-0.

For Abbamonto, however, that’s history. She’s looking forward to playing at USC next season, where she will join last year’s Times all-county first-teamers Katie Ticehurst (Mater Dei), Susie Mora (Santa Margarita), Megan Orach (Marina) and Andrea Warner (Dana Hills).

“[USC Coach Jim Millinder] is looking for her to come in and start,” Peterson said. “That is the kind of player she is; one you always want on the field.”