Building on the program’s success in recent years (in which the team won the Frontier League, garnered a handful of individual accolades, and reached the CIF final), the past two years have proven especially remarkable. In the 2023-24 season, The Thacher Toads finished second in the Tri-Valley League (7-2-1), competed in CIF Playoffs, and had nine players receive all-league honors, including the Offensive Player of the Year award. The very next season (2024-25), the team finished first in the Tri-Valley League (8-0-2) and earned 11 individual awards (three Honorable Mentions, two Second-Team All-League, five First-Team All-League, and two Most Valuable Player of the League Award: Offensive Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year). With immense momentum, the Toads went on an epic playoff run, reaching the final CIF Southern Section Division 6 Final. After a dramatic 100 minutes of play and a sudden-death penalty shootout, the Thacher Girls’ Soccer Team was crowned CIF Champion for the first time in School History. The Toads finished the season with an overall record of 14-1-4 along with five CIF Southern Section Division 6 honors: three players were named to the All-CIF Team, one player was awarded CIF Player of the Year, and the head coach was awarded CIF Coach of the Year.

About Coach Arceo:
Originally from Bishop, California, Coach Arceo grew up playing competitive soccer with teams like the San Francisco Seals, the Nomads, and Reno International. In high school, he was a four-year varsity letterman and club state cup champion. In college, Arceo played across two divisions (D1 and D3), but ultimately captained Kenyon College to its first-ever NCAC title his senior year. After earning a Bachelor of Science degree in psychology, he worked with nonprofits like Woza and Ascent Soccer, traveling to Argentina, Brazil, Peru, and Malawi, using the beautiful game to foster cross-cultural connections between young people. For the past 10 years, Arceo has coached boys’ and girls’ teams at schools like Deerfield Academy, The Polytechnic School, and Thacher. Now in his third season as the Girls’ Varsity Head Coach, Arceo is passionate about continuing his work with Thacher players in “building connection, confidence, and healthy habits” through the game of soccer. Coach Arceo holds multiple U.S. Soccer licenses as well as a Master of Science in Education (M.S.Ed) from the University of Pennsylvania. Whenever he isn’t engaged in teaching or coaching, he loves spending time with his wife, Nicole.