Park girls soccer: Castro signs with Kansas Jayhawks

Park senior Monica Castro will join the Kansas women’s soccer team next year.

Kansas soccer head coach Mark Francis announced the addition of the midfielder in a release on Wednesday.

“We discovered Monica pretty late,” Francis said in the release. “She’s a really good fit for us. She is a technical player and we’re excited about adding a late bonus to the three we already have coming next year.”

Castro was a four-year varsity player and four-time All-Conference selection for Park. In her senior season, the 5-foot-5 midfielder garnered All-State honorable mention accolades and was chosen as team MVP, guiding the Wolfpack to its best record in four years. Castro, who also spent three years with the Minnesota State ODP Team, ended her Park career under head coach Greg Juba with 19 goals and 17 assists while helping anchor a record-setting Park defense.

In its 16 regular-season games, Park allowed a mere five goals – the fewest in all of Class AA during the 2011 regular season and a total thought to be the lowest in Park High School history.

“Monica is a technical player who is good on the ball,” Francis said. “She makes good decisions and she has sharp passing skills. She is a consistent passer and she’s very good in the final third of the field. Monica also does a really good job when things are tight, she can get out of pressure. She is a good addition for us.”

Castro also spent four years with the St. Croix Scorpions club team. Under the direction of Dickie Vilme, the Scorpions were ranked as high as second in the state and finished runner-up at the Minnesota State Cup twice. The team also won the U.S. Soccer Region II in Casto’s junior year and placed second at the U.S. National Cup.

Tags: sports, soccer, park, wolfpack, prep, updates