[2][3] Villarreal played multiple sports growing up, including baseball, basketball, flag football, gymnastics, karate, and soccer.

[3][4] Villarreal joined Novi-based club Michigan Jaguars FC at age nine after playing for local teams DeWitt SC and SBC Chill.

[3][5] Villarreal attended Lansing Catholic for one year, where she ran cross country and track, before taking online classes at Sexton High School, where she graduated in 2024.

Villarreal scored seven goals and added eight assists in the regular season, earning Southeastern Conference freshman of the year and second-team all-SEC honors.

[10][11] At age 16, she made her competitive international debut at the 2022 CONCACAF Women's U-17 Championship, where she helped the United States win the tournament as the team's joint top scorer with eight goals and added five assists.