LJ g soccer: League champs and Zadeyan's double announcement

Forward Tahlia Zadeyan (16, right) positions

the ball in the attacking zone against Mira Mesa

Thurs., Feb. 8. (Photo by Ed Piper)

By Ed Piper

La Jolla's girls soccer team is the 2023-2024 Eastern League champion. The "ViQueens", as they're nicknamed, own a sparkling 7-0 record in league play (plus two ties), to give them a three-game advantage over their nearest competitor.

Asked about the league title before the Senior Night game Wed., Feb. 8, Coach Austin Mobley was modest, saying, "Yes, we are." Senior Night, in many ways, was a tribute to how he has stabilized the girls program in his three years of coaching at LJHS.

Several of the seniors, introduced with their families, wrote in their memories and thank-you's that "Coach Austin" had helped make them "the people and players" they were today.

In addition, Tahlia Zadeyan, the Vikings' tall forward and leading scorer with nine goals this season, let it be known:

--She will go to Spain to "play for a club team" (her father's words in a quick interview after the formal presentations) in the next year.

--She has played, and will return again to play in the Armenian National Team's program, which is under UEFA, the European association, her father, Ankist Zadeyan, said.

Zadeyan played for the Armenian Women's U-17 National team in 2022 in a qualifying tournament held in Luxembourg. To do so, she previously had to go through a lengthy process to gain Armenian citizenship. Her father is descended from Armenian heritage.

--Finally, the cherry on top, Wake Forest, an NCAA Division 1 program, will accept Tahlia to play soccer in Fall 2025.

Presumably, the club experience will help grow Zadeyan and mature her to a level at which Wake Forest will value her that much more. She will be a year older, with an additional year's experience under advanced coaching and playing experience.

Zadeyan, a 5'10" center midfielder and center back, was First Team All-League as a junior last year, and most likely will be a First Team selection this year as a senior, with the Vikings repeating as City League champions. She may well be the offensive player of the year.

Her profile on the NCSA sports site says she will be participating at a Spanish soccer academy in 2024-2025 to refine her skills and retain her NCAA eligibility to play at Wake Forest the year after next.