This month’s athletic spotlight is Janeth Arroyo, center defender for the Mayfair’s prestigious girls varsity soccer team.

For Janeth, her soccer career began at the age of six, when she was first introduced to the game. After years of play and experience, she managed to battle her way onto the competitive varsity roster in her sophomore year, and has since blossomed into a pivotal player for her senior season.

It’s easy to see the how Janeth’s experienced play benefits the entire team. Her veteran presence adds stability and strong leadership, while her gritty defense has made it tough for the opposition to score. While her individual accomplishments are already impressive, her dream is to finally win an undisputed CIF title with her team.

Fellow Monsoons recognize that Janeth as an essential factor to their success.

"She’s always playing to her hardest," says senior defender Gabrielle deSeriere. "I like how she’s always there to back the defenders up."

And it is not just her teammates that are starting to notice. Coaches rave about Janeth’s skill, often citing her as the team’s defensive stronghold.

Coach Bellomo says, "She’s got great work ethic; she goes out and plays every minute she can 100%. She leads our team by example."

When she’s not busy excelling on the soccer field, Janeth is hard at work in the classroom. While she admits that her toughest class this year would be physics with Mr. Ducar ("Shout out to Mr. Ducar’s new kid!"), challenges are nothing new to Janeth, who earns high praise from her teachers.

"Janeth is a smart girl," says Mr. Headley, Janeth’s former U.S. history teacher. "She is very conscientious about finishing her work and she pays careful attention to her grades. I really like the fact that she’s a hard worker."

These successes—both on and off the field—are driven by a force inherent of all sports.

"The competition is probably what drives me to play this game," says Janeth. "I absolutely love it."