South Tahoe High soccer stars to play for LTCC Coyotes

Four South Tahoe High seniors took a big step on Tuesday when they all signed a letter of intent to play soccer for the Lake Tahoe Community College Coyotes.

Natalie Reber, Stacy Vazquez, Alejandra Gutierrez and Kenya Maltese will all be in blue jerseys this fall as they hit the field under the direction of Coach Jeremy Evans.

"This is a big deal for my school," said Evans. "This is my first recruiting class and I can't wait to you to the next level," he told the recruits.

All four girls have already spent years playing the sport they love, and they have already experienced Evans as a coach as they grew up. Evans was the STHS girls JV coach 2010-12 and the varsity coach 2013-14. He took over the LTCC program last year when there were no players on the roster. This year, he has already signed eight other high school seniors along with two community college transfers. Evans said this team has a lot of talent, with players from England to Las Vegas, and of course, South Lake Tahoe.

"I couldn't be more happy for you to be part of my program," Evans told the girls during the signing ceremony in the STHS Viking gym March 29. He said he was excited to have the "quality local kids" become Coyotes.

Kenya goes to the Coyotes as one of the top ranked scorers in the state. Natalie, who is graduating a full year early, knows her position according to Evans, and will be an anchor on the back line this fall. He said Alejandra is the total player with her defensive and offensive skills. Stacy is coming off a torn ACL and Evans said he can't wait to have her play for LTCC.

"I'm really excited to be with these girls on the team," said Vasquez, a sentiment echoed by the others.

"This is a fantastic dream to see these players move on," said STHS Girls Varsity Coach Mark Salmon. "This is a start of great things to come."

"Winning is important, but so is winning with the right players," added Evans. "This class is special."