Stockton's San Juan South girls soccer club crowned national and state champs

Bringing back national and state titles to the 209 wasn’t the ultimate goal of the San Juan South 2009 U14 girls club soccer team.

The small Stockton-based soccer club started as a way of giving girls in the area an outlet to grow within the sport. The club reached new heights after winning the National Premier League state and national championships in their age group earlier this month.

“This is the first national title for our small little club out of Stockton, so I’m really just proud of this team,” said Carmen Padilla, San Juan South’s head coach. “They work extremely hard each day and they're a really good bunch of girls who just love the game and love each other.”

San Juan South 2009’s victory in the 2023 NPL Finals on July 10 marks the first-ever national championship for the club as a whole.

“We have so many good players in our club in all different age groups," said Alessandra Barajas, SJS 2009’s co-captain, "and to be the only ones to win the national title it’s really exciting.”

The Road to Championships

The majority of the local athletes who make up San Juan South 2009 have been playing together since they were little. Padilla has watched the group grow into elite players over the past three years once she took over as head coach. During those times, their bond solidified, making them a force to be reckoned with this summer.

This landed them a spot in the NPL Finals from July 6-10 in Denver. They took on some of the best youth soccer clubs across the country which ultimately lead them to the national championship match against Elite FC 2009 out of Ohio.

“We watched film and then we worked our butts off to get better at what we messed up on during the season,” said Madison Van Exel, SJS 2009’s co-captain. “It was not an individual sport, like, everyone had a role in every single game that we had.”

Their final game was a physical one with SJS 2009 being the underdog as the undersized team; however, size was no match for the club’s high soccer IQ and pre-game preparation. When they got a corner kick opportunity just two minutes into the game, they executed — kickstarting their momentum in the match.

“We were able to scout the Ohio team the day before and we notice that they were good in the air so our assistant coaches designed a corner kick play,” Padilla said. “They did that play during the game and were able to score right off the bat.”

SJS 2009 would go on to take the match 2-0. It ended the NPL Finals winning all three of their matches and only allowing one goal over the three games.

Ready for the next level

Earning the title of state and national champion was the cherry on top for the SJS 2009 team. But it is just the beginning of what its players are capable of accomplishing as many of the girls prepare for high school soccer this winter.

For Barajas and Van Exel — who will be incoming freshmen at St. Mary’s High School this fall — wrapping up club ball in this fashion is a good way to get ready for Rams soccer.

“I feel like the competitive environment that San Juan South gives to players really helps push us to be better every day,” Barajas said. “It helps prepare us for a lot of things like the extra tournaments, practices, high school, and just life in general.”

Van Exel is looking forward to the challenge that comes with playing for one of the top high school girls' soccer programs in Stockton.

“Playing against older girls I get to see how I can use my strength,” she said. “Even as a freshman, I can just see how I can beat older girls and help out my team.”

Until then, Barajas, Van Exel, and the San Juan South 2009 team can relish in their historic wins and serve as role models for soccer clubs all across the 209.

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: Hometown Hardware: San Juan South girls soccer club national champs