Daily Journal Athlete of the Week: Nueva’s Juliet Chen

As one of seven freshmen on the varsity roster, Chen has been the breakout star, leading the team in goals, including her second hat trick of the year in last week’s 8-0 blowout of ACE Charter-San Jose. But the next day, in a 3-0 non-league win over Woodside Priory, the frosh forward, who has led many a scoring barrage, likely played her final game of the season after suffering an excruciating right knee injury.

“I was trying to receive a through ball,” Chen said. “So, I was sprinting really quickly, and I turned my body to cross it … and I landed on the same foot I kick with, and I felt a pop in my knee. … It was probably the worst knee pain I’ve ever had.”

Chen is still waiting on a diagnosis and is scheduled to undergo an MRI Wednesday. She is currently on crutches. The fear is a possible ACL tear, she said.

“Which is devastating for her and for the team,” Nueva head coach Daniel Zerabruk said.

Chen is still holding out hope she will return this season.

“I think there’s a chance but a slim one,” Chen said.

The want to be part of this ride the Mavericks are on almost goes without saying. Nueva has been a big fish in a small pond since the girls’ soccer program was formed in 2018-19. The Mavericks have an all-time PSAL North record of 36-4-1 and have all but wrapped up their fourth league title in five years.

It’s what lies ahead, in the postseason, that has Nueva on the vanguard though. While the team has advanced to the Central Coast Section playoffs in each of the past four seasons, the program’s all-time postseason record stands at 0-4.

“That’s been the team goal since the start of the season,” Zerabruk said. “This year with the group that we have, we have a really good, strong squad with some really good freshmen that have come in this year. … We don’t usually set goals like that because we usually have process goals, but these were the outcome goals.”

There was plenty of optimism surrounding Nueva at the start of the season. The core of seniors Kayla Hwong and Anya Potsiadlo in the attacking midfield, along with Mia Tavares served as the perfect foundation for seven incoming freshmen. The three Graham-Martinez sisters have also been key, with freshman twins Nancy and Patrice joining their older sister, junior Alyse.

Chen has emerged as the star, though. This comes as no surprise. The freshman is a lifer on the soccer pitch, having played for the Burlingame Soccer Club since she was in second grade, including the past several years with the club’s National Premier League team. Still, Chen said she was struck with a bit of pause when she arrived for the first day of practice at Nueva this season.

“When I came to practice, there was so many good upper seniors and also a bunch of good freshmen, I started to reconsider,” Chen said. “I was still confident, but I wasn’t sure.”

In reality, her talent was never in doubt.

“She’s an incredible dribbler with the ball,” Zerabruk said. “She has an exceptional IQ of the game, can make … goals for others, as well as creating goals for herself. She’s a very good 1 v 1 player.”

Nueva’s new wave inspired Zerabruk to take his team to the Firebird Classic at Fremont High School in Sunnyvale. It was the Mavericks’ first time playing in the highly competitive tournament. They sure did rise the occasion, advancing to the championship game only to fall in penalty kicks to Silver Creek after battling to a draw in regulation play.

“That was the turning point where we looked at that and thought we’re not just competing against these school, we’re doing well,” Zerabruk said. “And I think that gave the confidence and belief that this time around, come CCS, we’re going to have a lot more success.”

Nueva has just two losses on its 2022-23 record, a 2-1 defeat in the season opener at Mercy-Burlingame, and a 2-1 loss at Aragon the following week.

Zerabruk said he is optimistic Nueva will earn a high seed in the draw for the CCS postseason, set to open Feb. 18. And Chen said she is confident the Mavericks are built to go it without her.

“I think one of the amazing things about the team is how much depth there is,” Chen said. “Obviously it’s been amazing for me to get some goal-scoring opportunities for the team, but I think there’s some other goal scorers that would happily step up. So, I think the team will still go places.”