It was a season filled with ups-and-downs for first-year head coach Becca Moros and the Arizona soccer team, but the Wildcats finished the 2021 season on a high note.
Arizona won two of its final three matches — including a thriller over Arizona State in the Nov. 5 season finale — to finish 5-13 overall and 2-9 in Pac-12 play.
Jill Aguilera scored the game-winner in the 2-1 rivalry victory, becoming the program’s all-time scoring leader with 33 goals.
“There was certainly an elation and I think everyone was immensely proud and happy for Jill and being able to hit a milestone like that and be a part of it altogether,” Moros said. “I think people really enjoyed celebrating with her and to finish off on such a high note as far as our last three games of the year being some of our best and the progress that we made,
“I think everybody was feeling really good and felt like it was a good way to send ourselves into the offseason.”
The rivalry game was in overtime when Arizona State was whistled for a handball. Aguilera was awarded a penalty kick, which she coolly nailed.
“I missed a PK earlier in the season and I knew that, my teammates knew that, my coaches knew that and my mom knew that, so I’m sure they were a little nervous about that but I just needed to make sure that I wasn’t thinking about that,” Aguilera said. “I was just thinking about the present moment and being clinical in that moment.”
Aguilera’s leadership did not go unnoticed by the players and coaches. Freshman Gianna Christiansen even went as far as to say Aguilera was “one of the greatest” leaders she has ever had. Consider: Aguilera scored the deciding goal in four of the Wildcats’ five victories: Sept. 5 against Cal State Northridge, Sept. 12 against Nebraska, Oct. 28 against Utah and Nov. 5 against ASU.
Jill Aguilera
“Her being a sixth-year senior, she has obviously experienced so much and she can kind of guide us, especially me being a freshman,” Christiansen said. “She guided us and guided me, and I couldn’t thank her enough for giving us the best season, her last season. I am so glad I got to spend it with her and got to experience this amazing honor with her.”
Freshmen and sophomores logged a ton of critical minutes for the Wildcats, with nine underclassmen playing at least 600 minutes apiece. Christiansen played 1,317 minutes as a freshman. That experience should give the young Wildcats an advantage heading into next season.
“There is a different confidence that forms in players when they get to play, and if you play a lot and have that experience, you feel like you know what you’re going into,” Moros said. “Your expectations are more accurate, you know what the competition looks like, speed of play and that is why we have seen our younger players improve in a big way over a very short period of time.”
The Wildcats are adding six recruits for the 2022 season — defenders Maia Brown, Angela Baron and Ella Hatteberg; midfielder Trinity Dorsey; and forwards MacKenzie Moring and Cameron Valladares.
Moros said she began recruiting the day after she signed her contract with the Wildcats.
“We looked for very specific things and qualities,” Moros said. “We haven’t really rushed in terms of a lot of players being available coming off COVID and people not having their normal recruiting process either so I think the timing helped us in that sense. We looked for really complete soccer players, very disciplined and self-motivated people.”
They’ll fill the roster spots vacated by, among others, Aguilera — who was drafted by the Chicago Red Stars of the NWSL earlier this year. Aguilera plans on staying in Tucson through December before turning pro.
“I am still going to be in Tucson and training with the team,” Aguilera said. “I obviously want to keep training as much as I can. Just training with Becca and the team over winter break and then once the new year hits, I will continue to be in contact with Chicago and figure out what my plans are until I go over there. I just have to meet with Becca and figure all of that out.”
