The562’s high school soccer coverage for the 2025-26 season is sponsored by Long Beach Poly soccer alum Kennedy Justin.
After a breakout campaign last season, St. Anthony soccer is well-positioned to continue to rise.
The Saints return a deep junior class from the squad that delivered the program’s first winning season and playoff berth in three years, including seven players who started as sophomores.
“Last year was a young team and I’m hoping we can do something special this year and continue to build,” said St. Anthony coach Aaron Rodriguez. “Its hard with high school soccer because you only get them for a small window, but I’m looking forward to building some consistency since we have such a strong returning class.”
The large junior class is led by captain Jason Glenn, who has become the Saints’ Swiss Army knife since joining the program. Glenn has predominantly played goalkeeper, which he plays during the club season, but stepped up last year to contribute all over the field. Rodriguez has high expectations for the junior this season and expects to use him wherever the team needs him.
“He’s just a freak of an athlete. He can do a little bit of everything,” Rodriguez said of Glenn. “It’s a lot of pressure for him, but it’s almost like a make or break season for him. If he plays well on the field and in goal then we’re going to dominate games. I think he’s just one of those special athletes that we get once in a generation.”
After a difficult freshman season, Glenn has now seen what it takes for the Saints to turn things around and make the playoffs. The junior reflected on the team’s growth since he joined St. Anthony and says he’s focused on leading the Saints to more team success.
“I think we’ve grown in our teamwork,” Glenn said. “My freshman year we didn’t do as well, and I feel like we were just relying on the best players to step up and carry us. This year I feel like we’re working with everyone and everyone is going to chip in to help us win.”
The Saints also return one of their top goal scorers in senior Andres Mendoza, who recorded six goals and one assist during his junior campaign. Joining him in the attack will be juniors Arturo Camargo and Anthony Morales, along with Glenn when needed.
The only major missing piece comes at the defensive midfield position, where Rodriguez expects Troy Novoa to step up. The back line will be led by three juniors, including Cole Thometz at center back and Eli Bell and Marcos Mendoza at outside back. Novoa, Thometz and Glenn will all serve as captains this season, and Rodriguez expects big things from them.
“They’re going to be great,” Rodriguez said of his captains. “They’ve been playing every minute of every game since their freshman year.”
St. Anthony finished 7-6-3 last season and 6-3-1 for a third place finish in the Camino Real League. The Saints went to overtime in five games last season, only falling in their final matchup against Hawthorne Academy in the first round of the CIF-SS Division 7 playoffs.
“The key this year is just to battle and try and get that playoff spot again because we have some tough teams coming into the league,” Rodriguez said. “Last year, it was basically the second to last game of the season, so we want to solidify that a little bit earlier so we can continue to work on things before that first playoff game.”
