Pair of Kofa teammates to play for the same college
Soccer players Villa and Gutierrez sign with Multnomah University
On Tuesday, a pair of Kofa High School soccer players announced their intentions to continue their athletic careers at the same college.
Victor Villa, originally from California, and Yuma native Joshua Gutierrez each signed a National Letter of Intent to play for the Multnomah University Lions, an NAIA program in Portland, Oregon. The pair of high school upperclassmen have been friends since their freshman year at Kofa.
Both players credit Kings assistant soccer coach and Multnomah alumnus Mike Kochis with recommending the university as a possible destination to continue their athletic endeavors. Kochis played as a midfielder for Multnomah and graduated in 2018.
“He told us the atmosphere was great when he played there,” Villa told The Yuma Sun.
Meanwhile, Gutierrez says he has an additional connection to his future college as his girlfriend and fellow Kofa senior soccer player Cassandra Sandoval signed with Multnomah last week. That being the case, Gutierrez states he is looking forward to the next chapter of his life.
“Coach Kochis and his brother said great things about the school, plus Victor and I have become good friends through soccer and we’ve shared some classes too,” Gutierrez tells The Yuma Sun. “Cassandra already signed there, so it’s a great situation for me.”
At the next level, Gutierrez envisions himself as a left midfielder. As for Villa, while he played several positions at Kofa, he anticipates playing right defender for the Lions. Villa says he looks to be an all-around playmaker once he enters the collegiate ranks.
“I feel like my soccer IQ is my best asset. I feel like I can help distribute the ball and I help the overall team offensively and defensively too,” Villa adds.
As far as academics are concerned, the two new college signees state they want to study exercise science. Gutierrez and Villa share the ambition to one day become personal fitness trainers or physical therapists in the health and wellness industry when their playing careers are over.
Both student athletes began playing soccer at the elementary school age. In addition to playing for Kofa’s winter varsity team, Gutierrez and Villa also play club soccer year round. They say their passion for the sport comes from the camaraderie and the bond that is established between themselves and other teammates.
“When you’re on that field, every distraction goes away and you can just be yourself and play confidently for your team,” Villa says. “Whether it’s preseason, in-season on whatever, we are always playing together, we know each other and the chemistry is great,” Gutierrez continues.