Girls soccer has thrived at Thacher since the School went co-ed in 1978. While there have been eight league championships since then, the girls who have participated in the program have measured their success on the field in more than games won. Thacher teams embrace hard work, fundamentals of the sport, and healthy competition as they play on the storied Upper Field under view of Ojai’s Twin Peaks.
Building on the program’s success in recent years (in which the team won the Frontier League, garnered individual accolades, and were CIF finalists) the 2023-24 season was also a standout. 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.
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. A Douglas High graduate, he was a four-year Varsity Letterman, and Club State Cup champion. In college, Arceo played for UNLV (D1), Eastern Nazarene College (DIII), and captained Kenyon College (DIII) to its first-ever NCAC title. After earning a psychology degree, he worked with nonprofits like Woza Soccer and Ascent Soccer, traveling to Argentina, Brazil, and Malawi, using soccer to foster cross-cultural youth connections. Since 2015, Arceo has coached boys and girls teams at schools like Deerfield Academy and The Polytechnic School. Now in his second year as Thacher Girls’ Varsity Head Coach, he enjoys working with the Toads in “building connection, confidence, and healthy habits” through soccer.
Notice of nondiscriminatory policy as to students: The Thacher School admits students of any race, color, national, and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the School. It does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national, and ethnic origin in administration of its educational policies, admission policies, scholarship and loan programs, and athletic and other School-administered programs.