Aliso Niguel’s girls soccer team played quite an impressive season this year, an undertaking that wouldn’t be possible without the team’s hard-working captains: Alaina Villa (12), Emily Trapp (12) and Paige Balducci (11).
These girls led their team to achieve some great accomplishments this year. For instance, under their leadership, the team placed third in the South Coast League and was able to qualify for the CIF playoffs. They then advanced on to compete in the first round of CIF against Los Alamitos High School.
Team captain, Trapp, stated, “I’ve been on varsity for like 4 years, and we’ve lost in the first round of CIF every year, so I would very much like to win at least one CIF game.”
Unfortunately, they were defeated, and that final game was the end of their season. However, Trapp and the other girls soccer captains shone on and off the field and led the team to other great notable feats.
For example, one of the season’s highlights was when Villa scored the game-winning goal within the last 30 seconds of their final League game against Capistrano Valley High School. This goal qualified them for CIF and became a memorable moment for the team, all thanks to team captain Alaina Villa.
Villa also said that her fellow captains, Trapp and Balducci, “are both such great role models to anyone that plays soccer because of their work ethic and positive attitude. They’ve become my best friends and I wouldn’t want to be team captain with anyone else.”
Team captain Balducci is a junior athlete and still has one more soccer season left at Aliso Niguel. Meanwhile, Villa and Trapp are both seniors and have played on the varsity girls soccer team for four years. This 2025-2026 season is their final year playing for Aliso and it concludes their high school soccer careers. They have left a strong legacy and impression on Aliso’s soccer program.
When asked about fulfilling her role as one of the team’s captains, Villa stated that “it’s always such an honor because I love everyone on my team. Everyone always puts their best effort in, so they make my job very easy and motivate me to do my best too.”
Not only do they motivate their fellow team members on the field, but they also inspire and encourage one another off the field. The captains stated that some of their favorite memories from playing soccer included pasta parties and riding in the team bus together because of the team bonding that it led to.
With that said, Balducci still has another year with the Aliso Wolverines, while Villa and Trapp will continue to dominate the soccer field after graduation. Alaina Villa will move on to play soccer at Iowa State, while Emily Trapp will play at UC Davis.
Nonetheless, Aliso’s soccer and athletics program wishes the best for their now former team captains as they rest in anticipation of next year’s soccer season.
