Sophomore Vala Saghafi and his impact on the Men’s Soccer team
A sophomore transfer is currently the leading scorer for the men’s soccer team, who are back to back state finalists.
In the span of 8 games, the center-attacking mid has recorded 12 goals and 3 assists. He began his high school career playing at La Salle, and as a freshman, he scored 18 goals and had 24 assists. He was also named conference player of the year and first team all state.
Vala Saghafi grew up playing soccer his whole life, and dedicates his time and energy into the sport. Before playing in high school, he played for a club named Oregon Premier, which soon led him to be chosen by the Timbers Academy program.
Saghafi’s biggest influence growing up playing was his dad.
“I started playing soccer as soon as I could walk and my dad got me into it,” Saghafi said. “My Dad played pro when he was younger. He played in Canada and overseas and I learned a lot from him.”
He believes he wouldn’t be where he is now without his dad.
The transition from playing for the 5A La Salle Falcons to the 6A Jesuit Crusaders could be difficult, but not for Saghafi. His talents and skills fit right into the squad, and he is very happy to have made the change of schools.
“When I was at La Salle, I remember playing against Jesuit,” Saghafi said. “Although we lost, I had played pretty well and remember enjoyed playing against Jesuit in general with the amount of skill and composure they had. This year, coming over to Jesuit, there’s been a lot more people and more competition for me.”
Coming into this year, Saghafi has set many goals for himself on and off the pitch.
“Being new this year, I really want to have a close relationship with my teammates, creating more chemistry on the field. I also want to try to score two goals a game, which would end me on 28 goals in the regular season. But most importantly, I really want to win a state championship which I think our team can do,” Saghafi said.
His main area of improvement he is hoping to develop is his weak foot, which is his right.
Saghafi’s presence and unsurpassed skill as a sophomore also persuaded coach Geoff Skipper to put him on varsity following tryouts.
“Vala came in already with the reputation of being a top player in the state, and exceeded expectations during camp and tryouts,” Skipper said.
One of the team captains, senior Grant Sasaki, also praised Vala’s contribution to the team.
“Vala carries with him a sort of game knowledge and wisdom that you wouldn’t necessarily expect a sophomore to have. He is also a very good teammate and just a really good person to be around, and his positivity really just helps uplift the team,” Sasaki said.
With Metro League league play underway soon and the first half of the season coming to an end, Jesuit is looking forward to returning back to the state championship for the third year in a row. The Saders currently stand with a record of 6-2, and are ranked 6th in 6A ranking pool.
The Crusaders will take on Mountainside at home to begin league play on October 7th.
