It's no surprise that Vista native Aleah Minnich is a valuable soccer player on the Spartan Women's Soccer Team . . . it's in her blood. When she was six or seven, her sister was in Pop Warner youth cheer, her brother was in Pop Warner youth football, and her parents served as coaches in the lauded program. Aleah joked that she probably would have been thrown out of the family if she wasn't interested in sports.
Aleah's favorite sports story about herself came about when she was a junior in high school participating in the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) semi-finals. Her position doesn't normally garner a lot of points but in a game where her team scored 4 to 1 goals against their opponent, she scored all four goals.
Her favorite story about other athletes actually revolves around her father's love of the Miami Dolphins. Over fifty years ago in 1972, they had a perfect undefeated season capped by winning Super Bowl VII. To this day, no other NFL team has ever achieved a perfect record.
Aleah plays center back on the soccer team, an important defensive position. She is very talented as her Coach, Matt Hall, expressed "Aleah is one of the most dominant players in the CCCAA[1]. She is a great defender, a great ball winner, and is pivotal in initiating our attack. Aleah also plays a huge role in our culture as she is a great teammate and leader. On the field and off she is one of the most significant contributors to our success."
Aleah's learned two important lessons from her experiences in athletics. The first is that communication is necessary and important. The second is time management. Aleah's worked for three years at Starbucks, attends school, and is on the soccer team. Juggling those responsibilities definitely calls upon her time management abilities.
Aleah loves everything about MiraCosta College. Everyone is "super-nice and supportive." She particularly values her Coaches Matt Hall and Hector Prado, Sports Trainer Tony Ontiveros, and Athletic Director Pat Conahan. She's in her third year at MiraCosta due to a broken ankle last year which put her out of action on the soccer team. She's getting her second season in this year in a stellar fashion. The Spartans are currently 16-1-2 overall and 12-0-2 in conference, earning them the PCAC Championship. Aleah currently has eight goals and eight assists on the season, but her greatest impact is felt on the defensive end.
Aleah's original major was Business Administration which she found a little boring. She changed majors to Administration of Justice. She'd seen a lot of television shows about criminologists which intrigued her. From there, she could join a police department, become an attorney, or follow any number of other career paths.
Twenty years from now, Aleah sees herself married with children who also play sports. Her future will include a stable job and a stable home. The one thing she would change about the world if she could is inflation.
Aleah and her team will start the post season on Saturday Nov 18. More details will be shared when the final CCCAA State Playoff bracket is posted.