Oaks Christian's Berkley Mape is The Star's Girls Soccer Player of the Year

To move his team forward, Sebastian Alvarado pushed his senior captain forward.

The Oaks Christian girls soccer coach convinced his reigning Marmonte League Defensive Player of the Year to shift to a more attacking role, as a senior.

The decision paid off with one of the best seasons in program history.

Berkley Mape, who had scored nine goals in her first three seasons, had 12 goals and seven assists in her new playmaking role as the Lions’ won 19 games, swept the Marmonte League for the first time and came seconds away from reaching the elite CIF-Southern Section Division 1 final.

“It opened up a new offensive mindset within me this year,” Mape said.

The Marmonte League Most Valuable Player will most likely return to her defensive midfield role in college. She might even be tasked to play in defense this fall at Ohio State University.

But for one glorious final high school flourish, the 5-foot-9 midfielder proved this winter that she is just as able to create a scoring chance as she is adept at breaking them up.

“One of the great things about (Mape) is she never makes it about herself,” Alvarado said. “It’s never about stats or accolades, it’s always been about the team.”

Mape has the unique combination of skill and physicality a true box-to-box midfielder needs.

The skill has been honed over thousands of hours of ball work at the park near her North Ranch home.

Her juggling displays are a showcase of Oaks Christian’s annual summer soccer camp.

“Oh my gosh, she’s so good at it,” said teammate Kailey Supa said. “No mistakes, just perfect. I don’t know how she does it.”

Mape didn’t keep the answer secret.

“Practice!” Mape said. “Juggling is fun. So doing it all the time is enjoyable.”

The skill is complimented by the physicality to win tackles on the ground and headers in the air.

“She’s amazing,” Alvarado said. “She’s really good in the air. She scored some really good headers. She did a great job of defending corners. This year, she was a true two-way player, offensively and defensively. … She’s pretty much the whole package.”

Mape had her first brush with greatness when she was still in utero.

Her mother Asia, an Emmy-winning sports television producer, was working on the “The Best Damn Sports Show Period” when Michael Jordan rubbed her pregnant belly.

“This child is going to go places,” Asia Mape thought.

The middle sister of a family that includes a water polo player (older sister Piper), two volleyball players (younger sister Jady and father Robert) and a basketball player (mom Asia), Mape was initially interested in dancing and cheerleading when she was younger.

She then tried basketball, field hockey and volleyball, as well as her eventual sport. She began playing AYSO at 7, switching to club soccer a few years later.

“She was playing literally everything,” said Asia Mape. “She kept gravitating towards soccer.”

Mape’s volleyball career ended when forced to pick between the sports during her COVID-shortened sophomore season.

A little more than a year later, Mape committed to Ohio State after assistant coach Gavin McLeod spotted her during a club match.

The decision was embraced by her mother, who played basketball at Michigan.

“Isn’t life funny?” Asia Mape jokingly asked.

Anchored by its two-way midfielder, Oaks Christian went 10-0 in Marmonte League play, scoring more goals (43) than the rest of the league combined (41) and conceding just one.

“No Oaks team has ever done that,” Alvarado said.

Mape had a goal and two assists in the regular-season finale, a 4-0 win over rival Westlake that clinched the perfect league campaign.

“She’s such a great leader,” Supa said. “Even though we had the same job, I still looked up to her and the way she led the team. … She’s going to be a great leader anywhere she goes."

Her leaping header was a key goal in the Lions’ 4-2 sectional quarterfinal upset of Corona-Santiago, the top seed in the Division 1 playoffs and the No. 1-ranked team in the state by United Soccer Coaches.

“That was super fun,” Mape said. “Just the energy beforehand with the team and the coaches, everyone was so hyped up. … Everyone was super excited to play and it showed. That was definitely one of my favorite games all season.”

When the Lions went behind 1-0 in the first half of the Division 1 semifinal at Los Alamitos, Mape responded with a highlight-reel goal — a 28-yard volley that nestled perfectly over the goalkeeper and into a top corner.

“I was so (angry) that we were losing,” Mape said. “I just wanted to get a shot in in the first possession we had back.”

Mape didn’t even celebrate the wonder goal. She just pumped her fist and told her teammates, ‘Let’s go, guys.’ ”

Oaks Christian led 2-1 in second-half stoppage time — seconds from the sectional final — when Los Alamitos followed in a deflected shot to equalize and force overtime.

“I remember it very well,” Mape said. “That absolutely heart-sinking, terrible feeling.”

The senior captain did what she could to pick up the pieces.

“I knew that the girls were going to look to me for motivation and encouragement,” Mape said. “In that moment, I said, ‘It happened. We need to get over it.’

“You can’t relish in that devastation. You have to change your mindset quick and move on.”

Oaks Christian regrouped and was able to force the match into penalty kicks, but Los Alamitos advanced.

“It was pretty brutal,” Mape said.

Despite the rough conclusion, Oaks Christian, for the first time, proved it could compete in perhaps the toughest division in girls soccer.

“This was one of the best teams we’ve had,” Alvarado said. “Just competing at the Division 1 level, being ranked in the top five for the majority of the year, and beating the (top seed).”

Mape is proud of what her team accomplished this season and is looking forward to following them from afar in the coming seasons.

“It’s pretty awesome that we could hang with all them,” Mape said. “Balls didn’t bounce our way and that’s just soccer. It says a lot about what’s going to happen next year and in the years to come.”

Joe Curley covers soccer for The Star. He can be reached at joe.curley@vcstar.com. For more coverage, follow @vcspreps on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

The Star's All-County Girls Soccer Second Team

• Carly Hauser, Agoura

• Jessica Heybl, Camarillo

• Peyton Mendez, Ventura

• Samantha Quinonez, Rio Mesa

• Fatima Alvarado, Fillmore

• Abby Seawright, Oaks Christian

• Scarlette Druian, Oaks Christian

• Mirabella Bickham, Moorpark

• Taylor King, Ventura

• Siena Meyer, Newbury Park

• Emma Naftzger, Westlake

• Avery Denger, Foothill Tech

• Zaina Barakat, Moorpark

• Marlene Gonzalez, Fillmore

• Michelle Monroy, Pacifica

• Ava Dermott, Oak Park

• Lex Sahagian, Westlake

• Kingston Worke, Royal

• Lex Shagenia, Westlake

• Yahaira Ramirez, Santa Paula

• Gianna Foss, Moorpark

• Amalia Nolan, Buena

• Jackie Corral, Hueneme

• Kailey Supa, Oaks Christian

• Abby Wood, Buena

This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Berkley Mape is The Star's Girls Soccer Player of the Year