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Grit and determination: Alyssa Polk named Record's Fan Fave Girls Soccer Player of Year

shannon mia belt, the stockton record
·4 min read

Despite battling injuries throughout her four years of playing soccer at St. Mary’s, Alyssa Polk stayed determined. The senior forward has been a key contributor earning accolades throughout her high school career.

After 254,017 votes cast, she can add the first-ever RecordNet Fan Choice Girls Soccer Player of the Year to her list of accomplishments.

“It feels really good to win because I know I have a lot of people backing me,” Polk said. “ At the start of this season, I got injured on Thanksgiving Day, I hyperextended my knee. So it was a super slow start, but it was nice to know that I have a lot of people supporting me throughout the injuries and my whole high school career.”

St. Mary’s Alyssa Polk is the RecordNet's Girls Soccer Player of the Year. Polk is pictured at St.Mary’s High School in Stockton,CA on Feb. 6, 2024.
St. Mary’s Alyssa Polk is the RecordNet's Girls Soccer Player of the Year. Polk is pictured at St.Mary’s High School in Stockton,CA on Feb. 6, 2024.

The art of not giving up

Polk’s final year as a Ram was almost compromised after her Thanksgiving Day injury during a tournament game with her Elk Grove club soccer team.

“I was playing against a really physical team and I jumped and a girl pushed me in the back,” she said. “At first I thought I had torn my ACL that was like my first sign that it was just horrible. I went to doctors they said your ACL is definitely torn and meniscus but I kept telling myself there’s no way.”

For the next couple of days, she spent testing out her knee, walking on it until she and her parents went looking for a second opinion. She got an MRI that showed her torn ACL was actually a hyperextended knee injury with some bruising on her hamstring. Polk with the support of her family would then embark on a road to recovery to return for the 2023-24 season.

More: Check out the Final Top 10 SJ County boys basketball power rankings

St. Mary’s Alyssa Polk is the RecordNet’s Girls Soccer Player of the Year. Polk is pictured at St.Mary’s High School in Stockton,CA on Feb. 6, 2024.
St. Mary’s Alyssa Polk is the RecordNet’s Girls Soccer Player of the Year. Polk is pictured at St.Mary’s High School in Stockton,CA on Feb. 6, 2024.

“Alyssa spent quite a few months trying to recover from that and worked really hard with the athletic training room and her doctor,” said Michelle Coleman, St. Mary’s girls’ soccer head coach. “She did extensive rehab and I think now she’s finally coming back hard and it couldn't be more perfect timing.”

In St. Mary’s season closer vs. Tracy on Feb. 1, the Rams looked for Polk to save the day. They were trailing the Bulldogs for most of the match but a comeback was brewing. With the game tied 1-1, Polk got the game-winning assist setting up freshman Alessandra Barajas for a goal to give the Rams the 2-1 victory. That win would put her team undefeated in league play and Tri-City Athletic League champs.

Climbing the ladder

Before Polk’s hyperextended knee injury, she has been a rising star for the Rams. She could play at just about any position on the pitch and in the 2022-23 season, she was their lead striker. Polk racked up a team-high 11 goals, seven assists, and 29 total points.

Her stellar junior campaign earned her the title of the Tri-City Athletic League Player of the Year. This was fitting for Polk who as a sophomore was named the league’s Defensive Player of the Year and as a freshman was named the TCAL Rookie of the Year.

St. Mary’s Alyssa Polk is the RecordNet’s Girls Soccer Player of the Year. Polk is pictured at St.Mary’s High School in Stockton,CA on Feb. 6, 2024.
St. Mary’s Alyssa Polk is the RecordNet’s Girls Soccer Player of the Year. Polk is pictured at St.Mary’s High School in Stockton,CA on Feb. 6, 2024.

“Coming in as a freshman she's started I think every game for us,” Coleman said. “I just think that her just overall intensity and just her work ethic in the classroom and out is going to serve her well in any aspect of her life.”

Coleman made Polk a captain this season and is hoping her lead-by-example leadership will come into effect during the Sac Joaquin Section playoffs. Last year, the Rams competed in the SJS Division 1 bracket but couldn’t get past the first round losing to Enochs. They suffered a quarterfinals loss in Polk’s sophomore year losing 5-0 to Whitney in the SJS Division 2 bracket.

On Feb. 7, St. Mary’s will find out its postseason fate with a possibility for high seeding in the Division 1 bracket after winning out in the TCAL. Polk will be at the forefront to lead the Rams no matter the opponent or the position.

“I know this year my injury was obviously a setback, but today I am just glad to be able to play,” Polk said. “I'm glad to have all these people supporting me for this Fan Fave Player of the Year. It's been really nice.”

More: 'Feels like a dream': Mario Rodriguez named Record's Fan Choice Soccer Player of Year

Record reporter Shannon Belt covers sports. She can be reached at sbelt@recordnet.com or on Twitter @ShannonBelt3. Support local news, subscribe to The Stockton Record at https://www.recordnet.com/subscribenow.

This article originally appeared on The Record: St. Mary's Alyssa Polk named RecordNet Fan Fave Girls Soccer POY