OUTSTANDING—La Reina’s Caitlyn Hardy carries a 4.2 gradepoint average and is a staff photographer for the school paper. IRIS SMOOT/Acorn Newspapers Caitlyn Hardy isn’t a superstar.

But she’s somebody just as important—Hardy is a wellrounded, great teammate.

The senior forward on La Reina’s soccer team is part of a foundation every solid program needs.

Hardy patiently ascended to varsity through a more traditional route, earning a regular starting spot this season through hard work, not sheer talent.

She has played through nagging injuries and excelled on the pitch while juggling an imposing class schedule and multiple extracurricular activities.

“She’s a great role model,” La Reina head coach Creighton Van Horn said. “You read a lot of press on marquee players. For every one or two kids who play college soccer, there are 35 kids who don’t follow that path. Caitlyn is a great example of that. . . .

“If we get four great years out of all the players, our program will be fine.”

Hardy has stepped up big time this season.

The forward is third on the squad with five goals, and she’s also notched two assists for the Regents (6-5-2 overall, 2-0-1 in the Tri-Valley League). She had three goals for all of 2008-09.

Teammates are impressed with Hardy’s effort and sound mechanics.

“During every game and every practice, Caitlyn gives 110 percent,” senior captain Brooke Ellias said. “She goes above and beyond what’s required of a varsity player. She exceeds it by how hard she plays and her effort on the field.

“She can get past anyone on every team, which is rare to find, especially when we go up against girls in this tough of a division. She has the footwork and ability to maneuver around players.”

When asked what she does well on the pitch, Hardy blushed and laughed, unsure exactly what to say about herself.

“I don’t give up on the ball,” the modest player said. “I always try my hardest no matter what the score is.”

Hardy has many interests outside of soccer.

The senior spent three years on La Reina’s junior mock trial team, which won a state competition in 2008 and secured a third place state finish in 2007. Last year’s mock trial team was second in a countywide event.

She actually had to miss La Reina’s second-round postseason game last year, a 2-1 loss to Valley Christian, because of a conflicting mock trial competition.

“I felt truly awful about missing that game,” Hardy said.

In a 2-1 victory at Campbell Hall in last season’s playoff opener, Hardy recorded an assist.

Hardy, who carries a 4.2 grade-point average, takes honors courses in government, economics, English and calculus. She is also a staff photographer for the school paper, the La Reina Herald .

Hardy, who has played soccer since she was 4, attended a six-day conference in Washington D.C. last summer with LeadAmerica on national security and counter-intelligence simulations.

She has also volunteered for Padre Serra Parish in Camarillo, and with the Pleasant Valley Education Foundation’s annual fundraiser, CineMagic. Hardy performed in CineMagic from the fourth through eighth grades.

The senior’s two older sisters, Heather and Meaghan, also played soccer for the Regents, and her father, Matthew, played baseball and football and boxed in high school.

Hardy transitioned to offense from defense her sophomore season, where she could use her speed to get the ball in open space.

The Regent has also battled knee and ankle problems throughout her playing career. The senior, who was the junior varsity team’s most valuable offensive player in 2007-08, said she developed knee pain before high school. She has been relatively healthy this season.

Hardy hopes La Reina can make a push for the playoffs with the final half of the Tri-Valley League season looming.

“I’m looking forward to getting to know everyone better and growing stronger as a team,” she said. “I believe we can make the playoffs and go far. I think we can win a (section) title. That’s my goal.”

Other Regents are also playing solid soccer.

Freshman sensation Meghan Ray leads La Reina with eight goals. Jillian Degennaro (seven goals) and Rebecca Koval (three goals, nine assists) have been offensive standouts while goalkeeper Ali Parisi has been making brilliant saves at goalkeeper.

When asked how she’s improved since her junior year, Hardy couldn’t think of a reason why she’s playing better.

Maybe it has something to do with all that hard work.

“She’s healthy, she’s worked very hard and she has a great attitude,” said Van Horn, now in his fourth season guiding the Regents. “She’s very consistent.

“She’s perhaps our most consistent scorer with the fewest minutes played of any of the top scorers. She’s been a tremendous teammate.”