St. John’s XXIII (SJ23) Girls Soccer was simply a juggernaut of a team this TAPPS Winter season.
Led by ninth-year coach Zayne Ramirez, the Lions were simply too much for the majority of opponents, cruising to a remarkable 22-0-3 regular season en route to the TAPPS-II State Tournament. That run marked the furthest the team has gone since reaching Regionals in 2016.
“The season was fun to navigate through," said Ramirez. "This was a new district so we really didn’t know what we were up against, but we approached each game with a quiet confidence. We were vigilant with our opponents and found a lot of joy in the process facing them. The dichotomy between the two really propelled our motivation this season, and come playoffs, we were buzzing. The discipline and focus tightened up and that carried us into the championship game."
SJ23’s roster was absolutely loaded in 2022, featuring the likes of the dynamic duo of senior Myles McGaha (first-team all-state/District MVP) and junior Andrea Morales (second-team) leading the attack, scoring a combined 84 goals on the season.
Furthermore, the Lions defense was bolstered by junior Elizabeth Roncal (first-team), sophomore Caroline "CC" Suire (second-team/Defensive POTY), junior Emily Razza (second-team) and junior GK Annelise Aldrett (second-team all-district), with sophomore Ana Caldentey (first-team) and freshman Aly Peters (Rookie OTY) standing out in midfield.
The postseason featured an emboldened Lions group that steamrolled past St. Anthony Catholic (12-0), followed by wins against Lutheran South (4-0) and San Antonio Christian (2-1) in the Regional and State Semifinal rounds, respectively.
"I would say our team's greatest strength is our synergy with each other and the game," Ramirez said. "Individually, we all had specific roles that we relied on throughout the season, on the playing perspective and the abstract side. Those roles were held to a standard by each player, which fed into our performance. The team had experienced club players which kept us proficient, but the buy-in and mutual commitment is the underlying factor."
Unfortunately for the Lions, the surging team was denied a State Championship by Grapevine Faith, narrowly falling to the Dallas school by a score of 2-1 in the final game of the year.
Despite the season not ending the way they’d hoped, the SJ23 girls displayed tremendous skill and resiliency, having a nearly perfect season that will be used as a standard for the future of the school’s soccer program.
“The future will be just as brilliant," said Ramirez. "This year's seniors have influenced the team in more ways than one and we will aim to honor them by continuing the culture they've instilled. The goal will be to make it better by enhancing the necessary areas and ameliorate our team. Ideally, returning to he State Final would be great. We know what it takes and I believe we are in a position to do that, because the returning players have that belief and vision."
Be on the watch for SJ23 come next Winter season.
Andrea Morales
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Kaitlyn Munguia
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Lily Arrajj
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Isabella Merino
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Eva Turner
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Emma Sallman
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Sarah Delaune
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