Amador soccer players earn EBAL All-League team honors

Emma+Fuller+%28%E2%80%9823%29+and+Angel+Akanyirige+%28%E2%80%9824%29+from+Amador+Valley+were+rewarded+with+EBAL+All-League+First+Team+mentions.

Provided by AV Soccer

Emma Fuller (‘23) and Angel Akanyirige (‘24) from Amador Valley were rewarded with EBAL All-League First Team mentions.

10 EBAL All-league recognizations for Amador Valley’s soccer players were announced on March 1, 2023: Angel Akanyirige (‘24) and Emma Fuller (‘23) were named EBAL First Team, Brooke Walker (‘23) and Ava Hofstede (‘23) were named EBAL Second Team, and Maylen Montoya (‘25), Alden Hofstede (‘25), Henry Beatty (‘25), Elliott De La Torre (‘26), Issac Light (‘23), and Sam Montoya (‘23) earned EBAL Honorable Mention.

At the end of the season only a few of the boys and girls get chosen by the East Bay Athletic League committee based on how well their performance was throughout the season. 

“I have been playing soccer since age three. I’ve grown up around the sport, playing at a high competitive level for several years in the forward position. I continue to play due to the love for the sport and being a part of the team, and hope to possibly even continue in college,” said Alden Hofstede (‘25).

Most of these players have been practicing and playing soccer for many years. They have devoted a large amount of their time to this sport, as well as participating in other teams and clubs outside of Amador. 

“In the off-season I play for Mustang, and I’m on the ECNL team. We practice three times a week, as well as fitness sessions. We compete in conference games most weekends, which set your seed for nationals in June. We also travel to different showcase events around the country,” said Hofstede.

These athletes train to become the best version of themselves on the field and work hard to achieve success with their team. 

“I’ve been playing since I was six. I continue to play because it is my favorite sport and I play well. Outside of Amador, I play for my club team Ballistic,” said Elliot De La Torre (‘26).

Both Alden Hofstede and Elliot De La Torre have been on varsity since freshman year and are continuing to learn the dynamics of their team.

“At the start, I was a little nervous because I didn’t know any of the guys and the competition was really hard. But I got used to it, started talking to everybody, and got the best in the league,” said De La Torre.