Richard Smith

West Valley Preps

Even last year, with a 7-9 record, Deer Valley’s girls soccer team was known for a stingy defense and an acrobatic goalkeeper.

This season, however, the Skyhawks truly learned that the best defense is a good offense.

Deer Valley entered winter break with a 7-3 overall record and 4-2 in regular season play. Not only are the Skyhawks allowing less than a goal a game, down from 2.2 last season, they have already scored 32 goals — three more than the 201617 team netted in 16 games.

“It has drastically changed. Last year, we got our new coach, who was our assistant coach. That put a little pep in our step. And we have some good freshmen coming in, who are definitely changing the pace of our team,” senior goalkeeper Hayden Wallace said. “Our backline has always been pretty solid, the five of us working together, we’ve kind of held it down. Now we have some attacking force, which is nice. It’s not always back where I am.”

Wallace is a unique weapon — or in this case, defense system. She saved a whopping 82 percent of the 210 of the shots on goal she faced. She said facing, and saving, a lot of shots forced her to grow as a goalie and leader, but it was stressful. And a soccer goal is so big that allowing that many shots makes winning difficult.

For that team, plus the two previous outfits, Wallace, defender Khloe Leon and midfielder/ defender Brooke Chavez were the constants. “Hayden is the one in charge. Khloe has been there all four years. They take pride and don’t want to give a goal up. When they do, it hurts,” Deer Valley coach John Brooker said. “It’s taken time. Last year, Hayden got peppered a couple times because they weren’t on the same page. Now, everyone is. In my opinion (Hayden) is probably top two or three in the state, based on her positioning, athleticism and the way she communicates.”

Brooker has coached club soccer for years and never has worked with a keeper of that caliber. Wallace will soon sign with Grand Canyon University.

That trio has an unspoken bond on the field, since they’ve been playing together — mostly with Club Sereno — for more than a decade.

“I honestly think it’s one of the best things ever. You get to see how much people have grown in playing. Brooke and I used to barely be able to kick the ball. She is so comfortable with the ball now. And Hayden has grown into an amazing keeper. When she first started it was like our other goalie, Lauren, is so good. Now Hayden’s at that level,” Leon said.

Now, as the undisputed team leaders, they’ve worked on building that bond with everyone.

Brooker said he got a text the other night stating the whole team was at a big boys basketball game. He said it’s not common for teenage girls to enjoy being around each other constantly for three months.

“I have half the team at my house every day. We know each other and we’re like a family. You always want the best for your teammates,” Leon said.

Leon said she remembers the team was good in their freshman year, but did not go as far as they could have. The 2014-15 Skyhawks finished 119-1, just missing the Division II playoffs.

That year also was Brooker’s first on staff, as he was Michelle Bodily’s assistant. He’s seen this leadership core grow.

“The practiced have changes and are a little bit more intense. A lot of it is maturity outside of the soccer field, learning what they need to do — the right and wrong things,” Brooker said. “You’ve got to have a good group of girls that get along. Even when things are going bad, they don’t jump on each other’s backs.”

The trio of Chavez, Leon and Wallace is a rarity in another sense. They have always been club level players, yet played all four years of high school — and not for a tranditional soccer powerhouse.

“It was definitely hard at first. It’s a big difference going from club to high school, with the pace of play and everything like that. But I am happy I played. I only have four years of high school to play,” Chavez said.

Wallace echoed that sentiment. The daughter of longtime Deer Valley volleyball coach Jackie Wallace, she was a Skyhawk long before high school started.

So in many ways, reaching the playoffs for the first time since 2009 would mean more than winning a big club tournament.

“Club definitely is a job. It’s my favorite job, but it definitely is more pressure to perform.” Wallace said. “Being able to have success here has made it more fun. Being able to experience this with this group of girls has been awesome. We’re definitely looking forward to going to state.”

Six games remain, including all five in region play. A Jan. 10 showdown with Verrado looms, with Agua Fria looming as a potential spoiler.

Deer Valley brings along a defense and goalkeeper that has allowed only nine goals. And the senior trio received reinforcements from a familiar source, Club Sereno.

Junior Sydney Baldonado is one of the club players in her first year on the Skyhawks roster. She has provided a missing piece for an already- strong defensive line.

“We don’t talk about it much. It’s just what we do,” Baldonado said.