APTOS — Aptos midfielder Monserrat Hernandez Marquez said she had a few moments that she will never forget from her junior campaign.
One that sticks out in her mind is a highlight-reel goal against Scotts Valley in which she fooled the same defender twice and fired away from 10 yards outside of the penalty box from the right side of the field to the left.
“I shot it with my left and it went in,” said Hernandez, still surprised weeks later.
If it were last season, Hernandez Marquez said, that goal doesn’t go in. Heck, she would have never even thought of taking that type of shot.
But this season was different.
The future Cal Poly Mustang had the confidence, the experience and the green light to do what she wanted, when she wanted and how she wanted. And that deal worked out pretty well for her and the Mariners, as Hernandez Marquez was recently named the Santa Cruz Coast Athletic League’s Most Valuable Player after leading Aptos to its fourth straight league title.
“You get to play every team twice and she made an impact against every team we played,” said Aptos head coach Jessica Perkin. “She has that belief that she can take over a game and this year it changed, it went farther, into she will take over this game.”
Blessed with a natural touch for the ball and nurtured by her soccer-loving family, Hernandez Marquez has been a dominant offensive force since she stepped foot on field for the Aptos. She earned a spot on the SCCAL First Team as a freshman and was named the league’s Forward of the Year last season.
This season Hernandez Marquez scored 20 goals and had 11 assists — both team-highs — for Aptos, which made its 10th consecutive Central Coast Section playoff appearance and finished with a 15-3-1 overall record. She is the first junior to earn the honor since Lauren Miller did so in 2007-08.
Hernandez Marquez said she has four goals for next season: (1) get faster, (2) repeat as MVP, (3) win the league title again and (4) lead Aptos to its first-ever CCS title.
“I have to keep improving,” she said. “I want to get better at everything.”
And Perkin said she will.
“She’s the most talented high school player I’ve ever coached,” said Perkin, who was a four-year starter at Santa Clara University and won an NCAA Championship as a freshman. “She keeps working at her game and she’s so talented that she’s only going to get better. She has so much room to grow, in a good way.”
Perkin also walked away with an award in hand, being named the Coach of the Year for the third time in her seven years with Aptos.
The Mariners have been the definition of consistency under Perkin. Not only have they won the league title each of the last four seasons but they are unbeaten in their last 40 SCCAL games.
Perkin said she was honored by the award but deflected the praise toward her team, which overcame overwhelming youth — the Mariners had just two starting seniors — to post a perfect 12-0 league record.
“It was a lot of pressure on our girls’ shoulders to keep up what we had going,” Perkin said. “That young group was able to deal with it and I was proud of them.”
The Mariners’ season came to a close in the first round of the CCS Open Division playoffs in a 5-0 loss to the eventual champion Mountain View, which is the No. 4 team in the nation and No. 2 in the state, according to maxpreps.com.
Perkin said she was working on scheduling the Spartans for the upcoming season to beef up her team’s preseason slate and get them ready for league and playoffs. She also said her program would continue playing St. Francis-Mountain View, Presentation and Sobrato, while also trying to add the Monterey Bay League Gabilan division champion Salinas in the preseason.
“That game left us with a feeling that we needed to improve during the break,” Perkin said. “We’re trying to take that next step.”
Junior forward Paige Dueck was one of the stars from that youthful squad and was awarded for her efforts. Dueck, who finished the year with eight goals and six assists, was named the SCCAL Offensive Player of the Year.
St. Francis junior Katie Farley won the inaugural Most Inspirational Player award, given to the player with the most hustle, heart and leadership.
“All the coaches thought the award made sense and all of us remembered her and how tough she played,” Perkin said. “Even when her team was down some goals she was still consistent. It just felt right to give her that award.”
Aptos junior defender Grace Rothman and junior midfielder Maya Pruett made the SCCAL First Team, while sophomore keeper Caroline Miller, freshman defender Brynn Mitchell, junior defender Mary McGinn and junior forward Maylu Escutia all made the Second Team.
Six locals were given honorable mention: Lauren Inman (Aptos, senior), Victoria Ontiveros (Aptos, sophomore), Bella McDaniel (Aptos, sophomore), Meg Guild (St. Francis, senior), Clare Turshy (St. Francis, junior) and Farley.
