Sophia Villanueva '25 Recruiting Profile

My name is Sophia Villanueva, and I am a 2006 birth year, right-handed goaltender who will graduate in 2025. Since I started playing hockey seven years ago, I have been dedicated to improving with every practice and game that I play. While I have good fundamental skills, I think my greatest strength is my competitiveness. I will not stop competing until the final whistle blows. I have grown up in a military family and lived in many places, so I am very open to new ideas and experiences. This openness makes me very coachable, and I adapt well to new systems and teams.

For the past two seasons, I played for 19u AZ Kachinas (Tier II), and we made it to the Tier II National Final game each year (2022 and 2023), winning both our league and USAHockey District tournaments, too. The Kachinas also played a number of Tier I-level tournaments and teams, including the NAHA Labor Day Tournament, EC Wizards Winter Invitational, and friendly games at Shattuck-St. Mary’s. I truly loved the challenge of this higher level of play, and will move to a Tier I team, the Minnesota Ice Cougars, for the 23-24 season. I believe that playing at a higher level will help me to continue to hone my skills and feed my competitive spirit.

I truly love being part of a team, and I would like to join a program with a cohesive group of players and coaches and positive leadership. I am not typically an outspoken leader, but I do develop strong and supportive relationships with my teammates and try to lead through my play. As much as a love hockey, I know that education is key to my future. I currently have a 4.0GPA, and I am interested in majoring in Sports Science/Kinesiology or Physical Therapy. I would like to attend a college or university with strong academic opportunities and good support for student-athletes’ academic achievement.