Kristina Sola isn’t typically one to shine above her many talented and gifted teammates on the Mitty girls soccer team.

But this year the 5-foot-10 senior stood tall — literally and figuratively — against the competition and helped lead the Monarchs to a West Catholic Athletic League and Central Coast Section Division II title, the program's third in four years. For that, she is the Prep2Prep CCS Player of the Year.

“I think this was an awesome season and I’m so grateful for my teammates,” said Sola. “When I went to practice and it didn’t feel like work because I was having so much fun. I think that’s what was so big is that we each loved what we did.”

Sola finished with a team-high 16 assists and finished second on the team in goals with 13 for the Monarchs, who reeled off a 22-match unbeaten streak.

Sola said she was just a product having so many great teammates and coaches that helped guide her this year.

“I was surrounded by amazing coaches, amazing teammates and I think we were unstoppable,” said Sola. “I felt we had a really strong team and if you look at a spreadsheet you will notice how many different girls scored a goal.”

This year Mitty had four different players reach double figures in goals with Amy Apostol (15), Ashley Kirchick (12) and Sophia Mendoza (11) joining Sola. In all, a total of 20 different players scored at least one goal this season.

Sola saved two of her biggest goals for the biggest stage, as the senior scored the tying and go-ahead goals in Mitty’s 5-2 win over Leigh in the D-II title game.

“She was the first among equals,” said Mitty coach JT Hanley. “It was great to see Kristina mature this year she was showing everyone including herself this season that she had an uncanny ability to recognize moments and then not back away from then.”

Mitty rarely played from behind this year and when it did there was never any panic.

At Mitty, there’s always a lot of pressure to perform and win titles and that’s something Sola and her teammates bought into from the beginning.

“At Mitty there’s no such as thing as having that underdog mentality,” said Sola. “I feel like our motto at Mitty is that no matter the score we are never going to give up. It doesn’t matter what the score is we are going to keep playing and doing our thing.”

During the season, Sola said that the team never got complacent over who they were playing because they knew that every time they played they were going to the other team's very best effort.

“It doesn’t matter who we play, we’re going to play that team hard,” she said. “We never underestimated a team this year and that’s what helped us be such a successful team this season.”

Sola will continue her career at UC Davis, where she will join up with a former teammate and a person she’s quite familiar with in older sister Ana Marija Sola, who will be a senior next year for the Mustangs.

The Solas were teammates during Kristina’s freshman year at Mitty, a seasno which culminated in a CCS D-II title. Now Kristina is excited to win as many games as possible at Davis this fall.

“In the end it’s where I wanted to be,” said Kristina about attending UC Davis and being teammates again with her older sister. “It’s going to be awesome. She pushes me more than anyone else I know, but it comes from a place of love. She makes me run harder and pushes me to be my best.”

Without a shadow of a doubt, Mitty coach JT Hanley had the most talented girls soccer team in the entire Central Coast Section this year.

The way Hanley was able to get a team full of stars — mostly of the superstar variety — to buy into the team-first system was remarkable.

After leading the Monarchs to their third CCS Division II title in four years and fifth straight West Catholic Athletic League title, Hanley has earned the honors as Prep2Prep CCS Girls Soccer Coach of the Year.

“Chemistry and leadership. Everybody saw it the same way,” said Hanley of this year’s team. “We had a great group of captains and this senior class was amazing and ego free.”

Extremely talented as well.

This year, Hanley’s seniors accounted for 49 of the teams 76 goals including double-digit scoring from three of those seniors in Amy Apostol (15), Kristina Sola (13) and Ashley Kirchick (12).

All three of those seniors have been a part of the three CCS D-II championship teams during their four years at Mitty.

“They took in the underclassmen and didn’t treat them any different then they did their own classmates,” said Hanley. “It was almost like nothing I have ever seen as a high school coach. They really loved each other.”

After tying Castro Valley in their first match of the season and falling 1-0 to College Park, the Monarchs responded by winning 20 of their next 22 matches without suffering another defeat.

One of Hanley’s best jobs wasn’t just the amount of wins or titles his team was able to capture, but the way he managed an ego-free team on a superiorly talented squad that featured 11 seniors.

Hanley was also the envy of nearly every team in the section as not only did he have the pleasure of having a Division I-caliber goalkeeper - he had three.

Senior keeper Brooke Lisowski is headed to Cal next year, junior Maya Hoyer has committed to Rice. Jessica Lima, a Newark Memorial transfer, has not decided but is considered a D-I keeper as well.

“My coaches and I told them that this is going to prep you for the next level,” said Hanley. “That wherever you go play, there’s going to be competition for your spot and they all bought in.”

The threesome combined to allow only 10 goals.

Hanley had a feeling the first day of practice that this team could be special and with a Tri-Valley Classic, a fifth straight WCAL and third CCS D-II title in four years it’s safe to say this team was special.

The way the veteran coach of nearly 30 years - including 20 at the prep level and eight now with Mitty - was able to assemble his team and come together as one is something he’ll remember for a long time.

“I couldn't have ever dreamt the way things went this year - it really was a real special season,” said Hanley. “I put that down to the girls and the way the came together.”

Amy Apostol

Jacey Pederson

Ashley Kirchick

Sophia Mendoza

Jillienne Aguilera

Georgia Kingman

Emily Smith

Ana Calero

Brittany Cartee

Stephanie Buecheler

Jessica Parque

Cynthia Camacho