Prep notes: Forwards Hoogendoorn, Buitrago small-school soccer MVPs

Modesto Christian High School goal scorer Carsyn Hoogendoorn was named the Trans-Valley League’s MVP.

Hoogendoorn scored 22 of her 34 goals in league play, including both of her team’s goals in a 2-1 victory over eventual TVL champion Ripon. She finished the league season with a flurry, finding the back of the net 10 times in the final three games.

The 5-foot-4 senior was second in the state in points (83) and third in goals, according to MaxPreps. She’ll take that scoring prowess to Cal State East Bay in the fall.

“Carsyn was a relentless drive on the field and the backbone of our team for the four years I coached,” Modesto Christian’s Jason Hardy said. “She gave everything she had every game – even in the first two seasons when we didn’t win many games.

“She led by example and motivated the girls with her incredible work ethic. I was so blessed to have a player like her to build the team around. I can’t wait to see what she’ll do for Cal State East Bay.”

Hardy was named Coach of the Year after guiding the Crusaders, a mix-and-match team with as many cheerleaders as club players, to a runner-up finish. Modesto Christian was 9-2-1 with losses to only Ripon and Hilmar, both Sac-Joaquin Section Division V playoff teams.

The Crusaders were the No. 1 seed in the Division VI tournament.

Ripon sophomore Cindy Alvarez was named Most Valuable Offense. She tallied 22 of her 32 goals in league play as the Indians captured their sixth title in the last decade.

Ripon goaltender Courtney Slamon, slowed by a shoulder injury in the fall during volleyball season, shared Most Valuable Defense honors with Modesto Christian defender Alexa Hardy.

Earning first-team all-league honors were Hailey Monroe, Lysette Gamboa, Reyna Gamboa and Haley Simmons of Ripon; Juliet Hardy, Jessica Groen and Rachel Smith of Modesto Christian; Sara Theodozio, Claudia Delgado, Maddi Moak and Mikayla Schmidt of Hilmar; Morgan Ehlers, Valeska Rivera and Alissa Spitulski of Hughson; Vanessa Kualapai, Sarah Leal, Madison Kindberg and Alondra Martinez of Escalon; Alli Villapudua of Riverbank; and Carley Lucero of Mountain House.

Buitrago earns third straight league MVP – Ripon Christian forward Abby Buitrago garnered her third straight Southern League MVP despite missing nine games at the start of the season.

The junior scored 24 of her team-high 25 goals in league play as the Knights continued a streak of their own. Ripon Christian has won the last four Southern League titles, the last three with Buitrago attacking from all angles.

The slick striker has finished among the state’s leading goal scorers in each of her three seasons. She burst onto the scene with 52 goals during her freshman campaign, leading the Knights to the section Division VII title. As a sophomore, Buitrago tied former Oakdale star and All-District Player of the Year Ashley Arnett for the state lead with 42 goals.

This season, her production was hampered by a knee injury to start the season. Once healthy, Buitrago was as potent as ever. She finished with eight assists and notched her 100th career goal in a 4-1 victory over Waterford on April 5.

Ripon Christian’s Kevin Tameling was named Coach of the Year. Three of his players joined Buitrago on the all-league first team: Samantha Carvahlo, Jessica Van Vliet and Rachel Faure.

The rest of the first team included Waterford’s Natasha Canto and Nancy Perez; Mariposa’s Anna Medema, Eliza Amstutz and Dawn Canapary; Delhi’s Diana Cervantes and Emily Salazar; Denair’s Selena Ortiz and Litzy De La Cruz; and Orestimba’s Mayela Lopez.

All-Southern League softball honors – Mariposa’s Leah Lafata and Waterford’s Kaytlin Donaldson are the Southern League co-MVPs, as voted on by the league coaches.

Lafata was 15-0 with a 1.03 ERA and 114 strikeouts. She batted .448 and paced the Grizzlies with 39 hits, including five triples. The dual-threat junior also scored 40 runs.

Donaldson ranked among the section’s best pitchers. She was second to Merced’s Madilyn Nickles (308) in strikeouts with 277. The UCLA-bound Nickles was named the Gatorade National Player of the Year.

Donaldson went 17-8 with a 1.82 ERA and hit .593 with eight home runs for the Wildcats, who finished second to Mariposa in the Southern League.

Tony Williams was named the Coach of the Year after guiding the Grizzlies to their third straight section Division VI championship.

Mariposa has won four of the last five D-VI banners and six overall, the fourth-best total in all the section. Oak Ridge has won the most titles with nine, followed by Elliott Christian of Lodi and Casa Roble of Orangevale with eight apiece. Del Oro and Sheldon have won seven each. Lincoln of Stockton and Le Grand also have won six apiece.

Sophomore Violet Matlock had a large stake in the Grizzlies’ success this spring. She was named the Southern League’s Most Valuable Pitcher after developing into a dominant complement to to Lafata.

Matlock was 9-2 with 94 strikeouts in 74 2/3 innings. She led the team with a 0.84 ERA and three no-hitters.

Gustine’s Savannah Vargas was selected the Best Offensive Player. The senior led the league in hitting (.644) and on-base percentage (.696) while topping the Redskins in hits (38), RBIs (21), doubles (13) and triples (four).

The all-league first team comprised Jessie Vegely, Kirtsen Dubberke and Kiya Smith of Mariposa; Alyssa Donaldson and Taylor Brewer of Waterford; Molly Wallace and Sydnee Machado of Orestimba; Cassidy Kuden of Gustine; Katie O’Leary of Ripon Christian; and Diamond Orozco of Delhi.

This story was originally published June 7, 2016 at 12:15 PM with the headline "Prep notes: Forwards Hoogendoorn, Buitrago small-school soccer MVPs."