Fresno Bee’s Best: Girls soccer player of the year and we salute our All-Area stars
Nick Pappanduros has coached the Clovis North girls soccer team since the 2007 season and he’s seen plenty of talent come through the program.
So when he describes senior defender Emma Brown as “one of the most dominant players I have had the opportunity to coach,” he means it.
Tri-River Athletic Conference coaches have seen up close how well Brown defends when they named her the conference’s defensive player of the year each of the past four years.
Brown is The Bee’s Player of the Year after helping the Broncos to a Central Section Division I championship with a 2-1 win over Buchanan.
“I take a lot of pride in playing defense,” she said. “I played defense my whole life and I haven’t played forward since rec ball in third grade. It’s one of those things when the offense gets a lot of credit because they do all of the goal scoring, which is great. I think there is a reason the saying, ‘Defense wins championships,’ because I think defense is a big part of the team. We take a lot of pride in our defense by practicing our formation and not letting goals in.”
Clovis North allowed only six goals during the season, helping the Broncos to a 13-2-2 overall record and 7-1-2 in the TRAC.
“She is a game-changer,” Pappanduros said of Brown. “Opposing teams must account for her in their game plan to have any type of success, otherwise Emma will make them pay. If you put Emma up against the best players in the section, she will win the battle every time. Emma is the smartest and most composed player on the field. She is a great leader who always is the hardest worker on the field and will make the most difficult plays look easy.”
Brown, who will play at Cal Poly, credited her teammates for pushing her.
“I wouldn’t be anywhere without them or my coaches,” she said. “Just keeping me accountable, too, and helping me get better as a player and a person and a leader on the field. I give almost all credit to them because I don’t think I’ll be the player I am without them.”
Coach of the Year: Nick Pappanduros, Clovis North
Kept his team composed especially after one of his leaders, Carys Hall, had to sit out the end of the season because of an ACL tear. Yet he guided the Broncos to back-to-back section championships.
Other player awards
Large School Player of the Year: Samantha Tristan, Clovis, Sr.
Finished with a team-high 23 goals in leading the Cougars to a 13-3-1 record and 7-2-1 in the TRAC. She totaled 51 points for Clovis. She will next play for Fresno State.
Medium School Player of the Year (Divisions III-IV): Caitlyn Vela, Kingsburg, Sr.
Led the Vikings with 18 goals and 11 assists in guiding her team to an 11-0 record in the Central Sequoia League and scored the lone goal in a 1-0 win over Templeton for the section Division III title.
Small School Player of the Year (Divisions V-VI): S/F Karolina Esquivel, Kerman, Jr.
She led the team in goals with 37 and helped her team reach the section Division V championship. Esquivel also had 16 assists and had five goals in two games.
All-Area Team
F Gizelle Aguirre, Caruthers, Fr.; S/F Bailey Amari, Tulare Western, Sr.; M Zoe Ames, Central Valley Christian, Jr.; Isabella Anderson, Clovis, Sr.; D Yasmin Avila, Lemoore, Sr.; F Aliah Avila, Madera South, Soph.; D Julia Avila, Clovis East, Sr.; M Kimberly Barajas, Tranquillity, Soph.; S/F Jiselle Batres, Monache, Sr.; Jade Beard, Central, Sr.; Bailey Bracha, Buchanan, Soph.; D Tayler Breshears, Bullard, Jr.; D Emma Brown, Clovis North, Sr.; D Daniella Bueno, Sunnyside, Sr.; M Emmah Burnes, Mission Oak, Soph.; S/F Krysta Casas, Dinuba, Jr.; D Gizel Castillo, Woodlake, Sr.; D Celeste Castillo, Reedley, Jr.; D Samantha Cavazos, Porterville, Sr.; F Kayleah Cervantes, Caruthers, Soph.; M Mariah Contreras, Hoover, Sr.; Sydney Contrestano, Clovis, Sr.; S/F Kianna Cortez-Garcia, Sr.; M Nicole Couto, Washington Union, Sr.; M Isabella Cruz, Kerman, Jr. ; S/F Maddie Cunha, Sierra Pacifc, Sr.; M Melanie Davila, Orosi, Sr.; M Selah Draper, Fresno Christian, Jr.; M Maddy Dwelle, El Diamante, Sr.; S/F Gina Dykstra, CVC, Sr.; M Stacy Espinoza, McLane, Jr.; MF Mariiela Esquivel, Parlier, Jr. ; S/F Karolina Esquivel, Kerman, Jr.
D Ines Fabian, Fresno, Jr.; M Mia Ferguson, Bullard, Sr.; M Diana Garcia, Sanger, Jr.; D Jocelyn Garcia, Mt. Whitney, Jr.; D Nikki Garcia, Sunnyside, Soph.; M Sofia Garibay, Liberty-Madera Ranchos, Sr.; M Vivana Gonzalez, Coalinga, Sr.; MF Favian Gutierrez, Hanford West, Jr.; M Karina Gonzalez, Sanger, Jr.; D Natalie Guerrero, Central, Sr.; S/F Olivia Gullermo, Porterville, Jr.; S/F Alexandra Guillen, Roosevelt, Sr.; Janae Harris, Mission Oak, Sr.; F Carys Hall, Clovis North, Sr.; GK Sydney Hancock, Clovis North, Sr.; F Zoey Hartfield, Central Valley Christian, Fr.; M Julianna Hernandez, Bullard, Sr.; S/F Makayla Hernandez, Clovis East, Sr.; D Khloe Hodges, Kingsburg, Sr.; D Kelsey Konishi, Redwood, Sr.; M Clara Krebsbach, El Diamante, Jr.; M Olivia Koop, Buchanan, Jr.; D Lexy Lacy, Dinuba, Sr.; D Hailey Langley, Hanford, Sr.; D Lauren Lopez, SJM, Jr.; M Jessica Lytle, Tulare Union, Sr.; Hannah Martin, Clovis, Sr.; D Malia Martinez, Fresno, Jr.; S/F Abby McKean, Sierra Pacific, Soph.; F Giana McLain, Sanger, Sr.; S/F Ava Medrano, Edison, Soph.; M Amelia Mello, Tulare Union, Sr.; S/F Autum Monty, Mt. Whitney, Sr.; M Emily Moreno, Riverdale, Jr.
D Kaylee Nelsen, Exeter, Sr.; S/F Logan Nidy, Buchanan, Jr.; M Joeline Nuno, Fowler, Sr.; S/F Serina Ocequera, El Diamante, Sr.; M Luna Pelayo, Golden West, Sr.; S/F Taylor Phillips, Buchanan, Sr.; Annabella Piercey, Clovis North, Sr.; S/F Jacqueline Pizano, Riverdale, Fr.; M Teresa Quintero, Roosevelt, Sr.; M Tiger Rendon, Central, Sr.; M Diana Rico, Reedley, Jr.; S/F Mya Rosas, Selma, Jr.; M Isabella Salcedo, Tulare Western, Sr.; D Alyssa Sanchez, Clovis West, Sr.; S/F Rylee Schwab, Fresno Christian, Sr.; S/F Isabella Schroder, Hanford West, Sr.; M Sydney Somavia, Redwood, Sr.; GK Shane Stewart, Sanger,; M Samantha Tristan, Clovis, Sr.; M Bailey Velazquez, Hanford West, Jr.; GK Brianna Vela, Kingsburg, Sr.; Caitlin Vela, Kingsburg, Sr.; D Kawaimailani Villalobos, Lemoore, Jr.; M Alyssa Wheeler, Clovis North, Jr.; S/F Candence Whitley, Clovis North, Jr.; Ciara Wilson, Central, Sr.; Sydnee Wilson, Kingsburg, Fr.; S/F Alyssa Yrigollen, Hanford West, Sr.; M Maria Zapata, Madera, Sr.
