This is the Los Angeles Sol: Val Henderson

Part 17 in a series of articles on the players that make up the 2009 Los Angeles Sol.

May 24, 2009. The venue: Buck Shaw Stadium. The opponent: FC Gold Pride.

Los Angeles Sol starting goalkeeper Karina LeBlanc is on assignment for a national friendly playing for Canada against the United States.

Enter Val Henderson, a 5'7" netminder from Orinda, California via Pali Blues and the student-athlete factory known as UCLA. Her four-save performance helped LA to a 2-0 victory over the Pride.

First start. First shutout. More to come? You betcha.

Valerie Henderson was born on April 19, 1986 in the nearby town of Concord, California. For most of her life, however, Henderson was raised in Orinda.

Orinda, California is located near Oakland in Contra Costa County. A small town of 17,599, Orinda is home to many affluent professionals who commute to Oakland, San Francisco and Walnut Creek.

Orindans are patrons of the fine arts, and they show their appreciation through the California Shakespeare Theater. Known locally as "Cal Shakes," the year-round conservatory features programs for all ages. From June through October, Cal Shakes performs at the Bruns Memorial Amphitheater.

Dotted with multi-million dollar custom homes, Orinda is also home to the Miramonte High School Matadors, which has seen greats like Ken Dorsey, Drew Bennett, and Bryan Barker play in the NFL. The water polo teams are blessed to have alumni like Kirk Everist, Heather Petri and Michael Sharf take their talents to the Summer Olympics.

And the girls' soccer team has had many greats pass through its halls, with Henderson being one of them.

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