Ripon Christian’s Buitrago is All-District Girls Soccer Player of the Year

Ripon Christian High girls soccer coach Kevin Tameling surveyed the practice field, taking note of the new faces and inexperience.

He had but one option: Tameling challenged Abby Buitrago, the program’s all-time leading scorer, to do even more in her final season.

He dropped Buitrago into the midfield, where she could become a playmaker ... a defender ... a stabilizing force for a team replacing 14 seniors.

For three years, Buitrago had been the tip of the sword, a striker who, when healthy, had very few equals in the final third of the field.

“It was a definitely a change,” she said. “Instead of receiving the ball, I was the one passing and assisting more. It was a nice change, though. I could see more of the field. It was hard to do that as a forward; you’re always looking backward or forward. From the center, you can see more of what’s going on.”

While it proved tricky at first, the position change produced Buitrago’s most rewarding season yet. The Bee’s All-District Girls Soccer Player of the Year blossomed into a complete player.

Buitrago had 42 goals and a career-high 18 assists in just 22 matches, and was named the Southern League MVP for the fourth consecutive year.

“As a freshman, I never expected anything like this would happen to me,” she said. “You realize all the hard work you’ve put in throughout the years paid off. I couldn’t be more thankful for the support I’ve gotten over the years.”

Buitrago finished the season with 102 total points, second-most in her career. As a freshman, Buitrago led the state in goals (52) and points (115).

“We had a very young team,” Tameling said. “We lost 14 seniors, plus two girls that stayed with basketball. So we lost 16 players from last year’s team. We needed to put her there in order for the team to be successful. We needed someone skilled and strong.”

The Knights captured the Southern League crown for a fifth consecutive season, holding off charges by Gustine, Mariposa and Waterford with the league’s best offense and defense.

No one epitomized that dual approach better than Buitrago, who was asked to play outside of her comfort zone by Tameling, a former collegiate soccer player.

She was asked to be both a finisher and a facilitator, as well as play defense for the first time in her prep career.

“I challenged her to work on her vision for the game – seeing runs and helping her teammates play off her,” Tameling said. “Being in the center, you have more responsibility. She’s never had to play defense, but playing in the middle, she had a dual responsibility.”

Offense remains her strong suit.

Buitrago finished tied for second in the Stanislaus District in goals and third in total points, despite missing two matches in December. She trailed only Haley Pires of Gustine (44 goals) in scoring and finished in a tie with Sierra sophomore Jadyn Shinn (42 goals), who has verbally committed to Notre Dame.

Shinn edged Buitrago in total points, but also played in five more matches. Shinn had a District-best 108 points, completing her impressive campaign in the Division III section final.

Livingston’s Miranda Alvear had 104 points.

Buitrago’s 18 assists are a career-best and Tameling says they reflect her development and growth as a player.

“She has a gift for scoring goals, but she also has this humility about her. She wants to develop that part of her game,” Tameling said of Buitrago, who has committed to Cal State East Bay in Hayward. “She’s not all about the glory. In many ways, she’s embarrassed by all the attention she’s getting.”

With Buitrago at the reins, Ripon Christian (17-5-2), ravaged by graduation and jarred by soccer’s move to the winter, surprised even their staunchest supporters: Buitrago and Tameling.

The Knights won 17 games for the sixth time in seven seasons and reached the semifinal round of the Division V tournament.

“They were very young and I was very proud of how they improved over the season. I can’t express that enough,” Buitrago said. “Coming into the season, I didn’t expect to get this far. They really pushed through and I’m glad I had a great senior season. I can’t wait to see what they do next year and the years to come.”

Buitrago had two goals and one assist in a 5-1 victory over Bret Harte in the opening round, and then accounted for the Knights’ only goal in a 3-1 overtime loss to eventual champion Bradshaw Christian.

In all, Buitrago scored at least one goal in the final 16 matches of her high school career.

She had six hat tricks, including back-to-back four-goal efforts against Waterford and Gustine in January.

With two more against Orestimba, Buitrago had 10 goals in a three-game stretch, propelling Ripon Christian to the top of the Southern League.

“I did not think we’d do this well this season, as far as wins and losses go,” Tameling said. “It wasn’t just Abby. We had other girls step up and fill roles, but Abby is such a phenomenal player. One of the few you might get in a lifetime.

“Abby filled that position well and the other girls succeeded in working around her.”

This story was originally published March 24, 2017 at 2:37 PM with the headline "Ripon Christian’s Buitrago is All-District Girls Soccer Player of the Year."