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ORANGE COUNTY PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Mimi Abusham, Los Alamitos, Sr.

Mimi Abusham rose through the ranks of the Los Alamitos girls soccer program watching the play and leadership of highly-regarded players Colby Barnett and Tabitha LaParl, both one grade ahead of her.

Abusham got her chance this season to help steer the Griffins, and showed she learned well.

The senior, center forward scored 21 goals and added 14 assists en route to an impressive 56 points. She also excelled as a captain for a team that defended its Surf League title and reached the CIF-SS Division 1 and CIF State SoCal Division I semifinals.

For her efforts, the Navy-bound Abusham is the Register’s Orange County girls soccer player of the year for the 2021-22 season.

“She was a handful that we, as a team, were aware of,” said Temecula Valley coach Jennifer Guinn, whose team won the CIF-SS Division 1 title and defeated Los Alamitos three times during the season, including twice in the postseason.

“We knew she could change the outcome of the game in a moment’s notice. She was very versatile.”

Abusham’s performance in the CIF-SS Division 1 quarterfinals against defending champion Harvard-Westlake was an example of her abilities. She stole the ball and scored early in the match, moved to defender and later converted a penalty kick to lead Los Alamitos to a 2-0 win.

“She’s super strong and super skillful and can shoot,” Griffins coach Pat Rossi said of the Surf League co-MVP and All-CIF selection.

“She’ll (also) dish the ball because she can hold, turn, and she has really good vision. It was hard to mark us offensively (because of her).”

Abusham’s leadership with co-captains Summer Allen, Marisa Salazar and Aurora Schuck also helped the Griffins finish 19-6-5 overall, claim a fifth consecutive league title and finish second to Temecula Valley in the Best in the West tournament.

“She’s more of a modern-type mentor-leader,” Rossi said. “Super-inclusive, any grade (welcome).”

Abusham took the most pride in the team’s chemistry and her role mentoring younger players.

“That was the best season I’ve had, not only because we played so well and got really far, but this team really felt like a family,” she said.

“She was a peer role model for the lower classmen,” said friend and fellow senior Jess Nakamine.

Abusham’s journey at Los Alamitos began with tearing her ACL during her first practice as a freshman. But the 5-foot-8 striker recovered to become a three-year starter who learned under LaParl and Barnett, who now play at Pepperdine and Santa Clara, respectively.

At Navy, Abusham will continue the military legacy of her sister, Kayla, 27, who served in the Marines.

“I’m really looking forward to serving my country and I think it’s a great opportunity,” said Abusham, who first committed to Army before settling on Navy in January. “I was really looking for something different, a challenge.”

Kayla also inspires Abusham to succeed for another reason. She is battling breast cancer and undergoing chemotherapy.

“It’s really tough but she’s really strong,” said Abusham, the youngest of three sisters. “Live life to the fullest. That’s her.”

COACH OF THE YEAR

Jeralyn Newton, Portola

Portola’s girls soccer program has steadily progressed since the school opened in 2016. But this season, the Bulldogs shifted into high gear.

They became the first girls team sport at the school to claim a league championship and reached the CIF-SS and CIF State SoCal Regional playoffs for the first time.

For her leadership, sixth-year coach Jeralyn Newton is the Orange County girls soccer coach of the year for the 2021-22 season.

Portola’s Jeralyn Newton is the 2022 Orange County girls soccer coach of the year. The sixth-year coach was assisted by Kelli Moline. (Photo courtesy of Portola girls soccer)

Newton, assisted by fellow on-campus coach Kelli Moline, guided the fourth-year varsity program to a school-record 16 wins, the Pacific Coast League title and a trip to the CIF-SS Division 3AA semifinals. The team also reached the SoCal Division III Regional playoffs, losing in the first round to San Pasqual on penalty kicks.

Portola finished 16-5-6 overall and 8-2-2 in league, a dramatic rise from its 3-14-3 record four years ago.

“Every year we’ve gotten a little better,” said Newton, the daughter of former Corona del Mar athletic director and coach Jerry Jelnick. “The foundation we set finally took off.”

Newton and Moline focused on building team chemistry and celebrating the fun aspects of high school soccer. They held team-bonding exercises in the fall and plenty of games at practices.

Portola also blended its seniors with talented freshmen Lily Nesland and Jenna Verplancke. The duo was selected first-team all-league along with senior Celine Aoki and junior goalie Mia Linville. Nesland finished with 22 goals.

FIRST TEAM

Mimi Abusham, Los Alamitos, Sr., forward (Player of the year)

Sami Baytosh, Mater Dei, Sr., forward

The Trinity League MVP, who signed with Arizona, scored 16 goals for the Monarchs to finish with 51 for her career, which included four league titles.

Maribel Flores, Troy, Jr., forward

The Freeway League MVP and Stanford commit scored 17 goals to help the Warriors win the Freeway League title.

Hailey Havican, Cypress, Sr., forward

The Concordia-bound forward was the offensive player of the year in the Empire League and All-CIF in Division 2.

Melina Livadas, Capistrano Valley, Sr., forward

The Pepperdine commit and Sea View League co-MVP had 22 goals and 12 assists to help lead the Cougars to the league title.

Jessica Ramirez, Villa Park, Jr., midfielder

The Crestview League MVP and All-CIF selection led the Spartans to a league title and the Division 1 semifinals.

Antonella Russo, Newport Harbor, Jr., midfielder

The Wave League co-MVP and All-CIF pick was an “engine” that helped the Sailors reach the Division 1 quarterfinals.

Aniyah League, Cypress, Sr., defender

The Michigan-bound League earned Empire League MVP for the league champion Centurions.

Abby Succi, San Clemente, Sr., defender

The Western Washington-bound Succi earned co-MVP in the South Coast League and helped the Tritons reach the Division 1 quarterfinals.

Angelina Moschetti, Santa Margarita, Jr., defender

Moschetti was selected co-defensive MVP in the Trinity League.

Brooklynn Acevedo, Crean Lutheran, Jr., goalie

The team captain posted 11 shutouts and 62 saves en route to being selected the Empire League’s defensive player of the year.

SECOND TEAM

Jordan Galvin, Westminster, Sr., forward

Sophia Fimbres, Sonora, Sr., forward

Marisa Salazar, Los Alamitos, Sr., forward

Alex Wood, Edison, Sr., forward

Paige Califf, Villa Park, Sr., midfielder

Gritsey Ramirez, Mater Dei, Sr., midfielder

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