Fernandez leaves Justin-Siena as two-time All-Napa County Girls Soccer Player of the Year

Tessa Salvestrin sparked the recent rise of Justin-Siena girls soccer from 2018 to 2022, scoring 49 goals despite her junior season being wiped out by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Salvestrin went on to play three seasons for Saint Mary's College and two professionally for Torreense, helping the team from Portugal win the Women's League Cup for the first time this spring.

When Salvestrin was interviewed by the Napa Valley Register about being named its All-Napa County Girls Soccer Player of the Year a second time as a senior, she was asked who might take over her throne.

She mentioned one of her teammates on the Napa Valley 1839 FC women's team, Bella Fernandez, who at 13 is still the youngest player to make that squad of mostly college players.

Fernandez went on to score more than 100 goals, including 79 in the last three seasons. After finding the net 29 times this past winter alone, she made good on her verbal commitment to UC Davis by signing with the NCAA Division I Aggies on April 27.

For the second year in a row, Fernandez has been named the All-County Player of the Year and - like Salvestrin did - leaves behind a program with momentum. The Braves tied Sonoma Valley for fourth place in the Vine Valley Athletic League at 6-5-1 and finished 9-6-1 overall.

Perhaps the next player to carry the Braves offensively will be Maren Cokeley - who as a freshman this year was their second-leading scorer with eight goals - or an incoming freshman.

Either way, Justin-Siena will look for its sixth straight North Coast Section playoff berth next winter.

"I feel like I am leaving the program in a really good place," Fernandez said. "All throughout my four years we made playoffs every season, won some very big games, and continued to improve year after year. I'm very proud that my teammates and I helped raise a standard and create a culture where we were always competing for a league title in playoff spots.

"We finished on a really positive note by making the Division 2 playoffs, and having coaches Ben Solomon, Greg Goodin, Joe Ring and Jayleen Casillas with us along the way made it even more special."

After being named VVAL Player of the Year as a junior, Fernandez picked up VVAL Offensive Player of the Year honors this year. Her 29 goals and 63 points ranked fifth and sixth in the NCS, respectively.

Solomon, who was in his first year at the Justin-Siena helm, was quite familiar with Fernandez before the season. He was the 1839 FC women's head coach when she made her Women's Premier Soccer League debut with them.

"Bella is a great kid, and so talented," he said after Fernandez scored five goals against American Canyon on Jan. 8. "The sky's the limit for her, honestly. When I gave her a debut with 1839 FC, she was 13. I wasn't putting her in there so we could make a statement or anything like that. She was in there because she was good enough at that age.

"I worked for (Napa United's) MLS Next U14 boys team and she played for them, too. She's always been a super-talented kid but even more so respectful of the coaches and her teammates - just someone the girls can really look up to, and that's a given."

Just like Fernandez looked up to Salvestrin, whose sophomore season had ended with the Braves' first playoff appearance in 21 years as members of the NCS.

"I am very grateful for players like Tessa Salvestrin and the athletes who came before us. They helped pave the way and help build a foundation that truly helped our program," Fernandez said. "I am very proud that all of my teammates and I were able to continue progressing. I will definitely miss Justin-Siena's soccer program."

She ended up scoring against all six VVAL opponents, even against Casa Grande's solid defenses during her freshman and sophomore years.

"After that, it became very difficult," she said. "Teams started developing specific strategies to stop me. In a lot of the games, I would have multiple defenders focused on me throughout the whole game. That challenged and taught me a lot about (how to play) the game when teams committed extra players to try and defend me. It created more opportunities for my teammates and I learned how important it was to contribute in different ways.

"Scoring against the top teams is always special because those are the games where you really want to prove yourself. But I was just as proud when our team found ways to succeed together."

She's worked hard to become a NCAA Division I player and looks forward to helping UC Davis get back on track. After posting 13 wins in 2024, the most since they moved up to Division I in 2003, the Aggies finished 3-12-4 overall and 1-8-1 in the Big West Conference last fall.

But she grew up with many of her high school teammates and bonded with them while playing for a different varsity head coach each season.

"Honestly, every moment that I got to spend with my teammates is something I'll remember forever - from the bus rides, to team dinners, to practices in the rain or shine," she said. "If I really had to pick a favorite memory, though, I would say it was when I scored the 100th goal of my high school career. My team and I celebrated and everyone on the field and bench ran to do a celebration with me. It literally will be a moment I will never forget.

"Those are the moments that made the season so much more special. The friendships and memories we built together are what I'll cherish the most. Looking back at it now, I would do anything to have one more practice or one more game with this group. We had such a close team and everyone genuinely cared so much about each other. Making playoffs, competing in big games, and seeing how much we grew throughout the whole season was incredible."

She enjoyed playing for Solomon, who hadn't coached Fernandez since 2023.

"It was very great to get the opportunity to be coached by Ben again. He's an amazing coach, and someone who has helped me throughout my soccer journey," she said. "He understands how I play and has always pushed me to improve and helped me continue developing skills that I know will benefit me at the next level. He believed in me and challenged me to be better every day. I couldn't have asked for a better coach for my final high school season.

"Having four different head coaches definitely came with lots of challenges," said Fernandez. "Every coach has a different style with different expectations, so there was a lot of adjusting. But I think our team did a great job of embracing those changes and never allowed those to become excuses. We stayed focused and supported one another. Looking back, those experiences helped me become more adaptable and prepared me for the future in soccer and beyond."

Kat Mertz is back for her second season as UC Davis head coach, and Fernandez is ready to help the Aggies start winning again.

"I report to UC Davis on July 19, which feels like it is coming up really fast," she said. "But I am super-excited to get started and get to know everyone to begin this next chapter of my soccer career. I can't wait to join the program and help however I can. My goal is to work as hard as I can every day and earn the trust of my coaches and teammates.

"I know college soccer is a very big step up and I'm so excited for the challenge. I want to continue improving as a player and learn from the people around me. Most importantly, I want to bring a strong work ethic and a willingness to do whatever it takes to help the program move forward."

To help her get ready, she's playing for 1839 FC this summer. She and Sofia Reiswig - the Vintage grad and two-time All-County Player of the Year who is going into her third season at UC Merced - scored in a 2-0 win at Yuba FC last Sunday in Yuba City.

Napa Valley was 3-2-1 in the Sacramento Valley Division of the WPSL's NorCal Conference before hosting Iron Rose at 4 p.m. Saturday, June 20, and visiting FC Davis at 7 p.m. Tuesday, June 23. The 1839 FC women host the Nevada Futbol Club at 4 p.m. next Saturday, June 27.

"Playing with 1839 has been a great way to prepare for college soccer, to stay sharp and continue competing at a very high level," Fernandez said. "It's been a great way to continue to play alongside lots of talented teammates and it helps me challenge myself. Every game is another opportunity to develop and gain more confidence and I'm excited to see what our team can accomplish this summer."

Fernandez got another recent confidence boost when she represented the United States at the Nike TOMA Latin America finals in Mexico City.

"Our team ended up winning the tournament by defeating Brazil in the championship game. It was a very incredible experience to compete against such talented players from different countries," she said. "One of my favorite memories is winning the decisive 1v1 that helped our team make it to the final. It is a memory that I will carry forever, and I hope I'm fortunate enough to have more opportunities like this in the future."

She also wanted to thank everyone who helped her get to this point.

"First and foremost, my family - especially my mom, who supported me and sacrificed all her time, and all the encouragement has meant everything to me all throughout my soccer journey," Fernandez said. "I also want to thank my little sister, Gigi, for always being at my games. She'll be attending Justin-Siena next year, and I'm so excited to come back to watch her play and watch her create her very own memories there. I also want to thank my grandparents, Berta and Jose, for always being there for me and supporting me every step of the way.

"No player can achieve anything alone, and I'm grateful for all the people who believed in me and helped me achieve my dreams," she said. "My time at Justin-Siena has given me lots of memories and friendships that will last a lifetime. While it is hard to say goodbye, I'm excited to see what the future holds and what will come next in my journey."

Copyright 2026 Tribune Content Agency. All Rights Reserved.