CHICO — Chico High field hockey ahead Isabella Valle-Snyder started her field hockey profession simply 4 years in the past as a freshman, however the former football and softball participant has briefly escalated to some of the best scoring gamers within the Northern Section.
Valle-Snyder leads the segment in targets (13) and her 5 assists give her the lead in issues within the Northern Section as neatly at 31. Valle-Snyder had 4 targets towards Corning on Sept. 1, two targets towards Berkeley on Sept. 10, two targets towards Bella Vista on Sept. 13, 3 targets towards Red Bluff on Sept. 19, two targets towards River Valley on Sept. 20 and has led her staff to a 7-4 report in her senior season.
While being double-teamed just about each and every recreation after her sizzling begin to the season, Valle-Snyder has opened alternatives for her teammates to attain and on account of this, the Panthers’ captain has been named this week’s Chico Enterprise-Record Prep Athlete of the Week.
“To start her senior season, Isabella’s passion for the sport and her innate kindness for others made her a unanimous pick by her teammates as a captain,” stated Chico High trainer Kim Musselman.
Valle-Snyder referred to as taking part in field hockey as a brand new game in highschool refreshing and one thing she fell in love with briefly. She stated her favourite phase is her teammates and the staff side of the sport, which she stated is really essential for the staff to be successful.
At the beginning of her field hockey profession, Valle-Snyder had a maroon mouth guard to check the Panthers’ colours, and this briefly changed into a superstition. She briefly satisfied herself that she would play extraordinarily with out it, however after dropping it she used her backup which was once crimson. Her good fortune persisted and her global didn’t finish, and he or she now says her mouthguards will have to be a color of purple.
Valle-Snyder had 4 targets in her junior season in 2021 and requested Musselman what she may just paintings on over the summer time ruin sooner than the beginning of her senior season to take her recreation to the following degree.
Musselman informed her to concentrate on being in very good form, to paintings on her explosiveness and pace, and to hone in on some tricky capturing abilities. Valle-Snyder took it into her personal palms as neatly, deciding to forestall taking part in softball after her sophomore yr and dedicate all of her time to field hockey.
“The three areas she focussed on in the offseason were readily apparent as her work with fellow captain Fiona Nielsen, has made them a powerful offensive duo,” Musselman stated. “Nielsen’s great vision of the field as a center midfielder (7 goals, 6 assists), coupled with Valle-Synder’s effective scoring skills as a center forward, has effectively made her rise to the top of the stat charts with 13 goals and three assists.”
In addition to taking part in at Chico High, Valle-Snyder performs for the newly shaped field hockey membership the Chico Hotshots, which her mom Claudia Valle coaches. The Chico Hotshots began in February and performed their first event in March, taking part in a lot of tournaments over the summer time. Valle-Snyder labored with the Hotshots and fellow teammates over the summer time and made the transition from a midfielder to a ahead her senior season. Nielsen moved from ahead to midfield, and the 2 have clicked all season lengthy.
It’s a connection that dates again a very long time, as Nielsen and Valle-Snyder have performed a lot of sports activities in combination rising up.
“I’ve always known her mentality as an athlete. I think both of our work ethic and wanting to get better and working together just works,” Valle-Snyder stated. “It’s kind of magic, we kind of gravitate towards each other. She finds me on the field and I find her and we work really well together. We both push each other too. I know she’ll do great and she knows I’ll do good, too.”
Musselman referred to as Valle-Snyder an overly laborious employee, a competent teammate and a valued chief who was once named a unanimous captain her senior season. Nielsen stated she believes Valle-Snyder was once named captain, “because she can take charge and she’s really good at leading and also being a good role model for the team.”
As a captain, Valle-Snyder recruited the Panthers’ beginning goalkeeper Madasia Wathen, which has proved to be a power of the staff this season. Wathen and Valle-Snyder have been former softball teammates, and Valle-Snyder believed Wathen will be the best possible are compatible to fill the desire for her field hockey staff.
“You see athletes and you just know when they want to play and when they want to be competitive and they’re willing to put the work in,” Valle-Snyder stated about Wathen. “I’ve always loved Madasia and she’s always been a team player and she’s really athletic and her work ethic is amazing … Her reflexes are amazing. They truly are. I think softball, all the work, it also helps.”
Wathen has 5 shutouts in seven victories in her first season taking part in field hockey, together with 17 saves in a 2-1 time beyond regulation loss towards Davis on Wednesday.
The accept as true with Valle-Snyder has in recruiting what she felt was once absolute best for her staff has been key.
As for what she’s discovered all through her field hockey profession, she believes it’s to be competitive the whole thing of the sport and the want to paintings with all of the staff. She used to imagine a game like field hockey relied best on forwards and goalkeepers. She’s additionally discovered to return out competitive directly from the beginning of the sport, slightly than looking forward to the second one part of the sport to start to battle laborious.
What she’s discovered maximum although, is to only have a laugh as a result of that’s when she believes she performs absolute best.
Chico High, which these days sits in 2nd position within the Eastern Athletic League standings, performs subsequent at 5:15 p.m. Wednesday at house towards Corning. The Panthers will then shuttle to Red Bluff on Oct. 19, sooner than final out their common season time table at 5:30 p.m. Oct. 21 at house towards cross-town rival Pleasant Valley.