The 6-foot-1, 175-pound senior forward led the Crusaders to a 25-2 record and the Class 3A state championship this past season. Valbuena scored 36 goals and passed for five assists, and he recorded two goals each in the state quarterfinals, semifinals and title game. In his only season of high school soccer, Valbuena was named the Florida Dairy Farmers Mr. Soccer winner.
Valbuena has maintained a weighted 3.33 GPA in the classroom. He has signed a National Letter of Intent to play soccer on scholarship at the University of Tampa this fall.
Valbuena has travelled to Costa Rica with a Global Leadership soccer program, where he built soccer fields and helped refurbish recreational playgrounds. He has also volunteered locally at a food bank and homeless shelter, in addition to donating his time by collecting sporting equipment for underprivileged youth.
