Santa Maria High School sophomore Diego Villagran has been handed a lot of responsibility by his soccer coach, Lala Cuna, this season. Villagran is a captain on the varsity team—a rare designation for a sophomore—and serves as the defensive anchor at center fullback for the 20-4-1 Saints.
In its last six games, Santa Maria has allowed only one goal, largely thanks to the solid play of Villagran.
“We know we can trust him back there,” Cuna told the Sun. “He’s been key to our team’s success this year. He can play any defensive position and he’s only a sophomore.”
Villagran’s strengths go far beyond his skills on the field. Cuna marvels about his work ethic and attitude, which are second to none.
“He’s committed to the team. He understands the team comes first,” Cuna said. “He follows as he’s told. He’s an example to follow on and off the field.”
Villagran doesn’t take his important role on the team lightly.
“It’s an honor to be the captain of a good team,” he told the Sun. “Overall, our team has been working really hard and I think we’re going to go really far this year.”
The Saints are a top seed in the CIF Southern Section Division 3 playoffs, shutting out Cajon High School, 2-0, in a first round game on Feb. 19. On Feb. 24, they had a local showdown with Arroyo Grande High School.
“He will have our defense on his command,” coach Cuna said.
All season, Santa Maria has benefited from Villagran’s growth at defense, which was a new position for him when he started playing varsity as a freshman. Learning the position has been painless for Villagran—a credit to his coachability.
“I’ve improved my positioning,” he said. “At first, I’d never played center back so my positioning was off, but with the help of my coaches, I improved.”
Villagran started playing recreational soccer when he was 8-years-old. He stopped playing for a few years during junior high school, and then picked up the sport again when he enrolled at Santa Maria High.
Villagran’s favorite part of playing defense is saving potential goals with well-timed slide tackles. His passion for the sport has only grown as time’s passed.
“I love the vibe [of playing soccer]. Once you step on the field, you forget about everything,” Villagran said. “You’re in your own little universe for 90 minutes.”
This article appears in Feb 25 – Mar 3, 2016.