Women become Coast Conference champs
For every City College women’s soccer team in years past, the season has ended the same way. They go over to their coach, listen to how well they played and how there will always be another year. But in 2010, things are different; they are conference champions.
By Ryan KuhnThe Guardsman
For every City College women’s soccer team in years past, the season has ended the same way. They go over to their coach, listen to how well they played and how there will always be another year. But in 2010, things are different; they are conference champions.
After defeating Mission College 8-1 on Nov. 12 to clinch their first conference title in school history, the Rams will now start a new season.
For something the team has never experienced before, head coach Gabe Saucedo is confident and ready for the task at hand.
“We have the championship and we are proud of our achievement, but we are not satisfied,” Saucedo said. “Anything can happen in the playoffs and I think we have the team to do it.”
This same soccer team finished with only five wins one year ago in Saucedo’s first season. This season they have tripled the number of wins (16-1-4) and have not lost a game since their opening match against Foothill College on Sept 1.
As an assistant coach on the men’s soccer team under head coach Adam Lucarelli before taking the position of women’s head coach, he didn’t know what to expect in his second year in charge of the program.
“I knew we would be good and I knew that we would play hard, but the team really stepped up and surprised me,” Saucedo said.
With a team composed of only five sophomores, surprises also came in the form of first-year players like freshman forward Tera Piserchio, who emerged as a leader on and off the field.
Piserchio, who led the Rams with 18 goals and se assists and finished 11th in the state in scoring, is excited for her team’s accomplishments and the future ahead of them.
“There’s so much we can do with this opportunity,” Piserchio said. “We just need to keep working hard in practice and focus. When we play our game and play it well, we can beat anybody.”
Other key players like forward Alex Montano and midfielder Rosa Yoshitsugu have impacted greatly in the Rams season.
Montano was second on the team with 10 goals scored and Yoshitsugu finished with three goals and six assists. But no matter how many goals were scored or assists made, Piserchio said the players credit their coach for their success.
“He had a lot of confidence in us from the beginning,” Piserchio said. “He knew we were really talented and we were capable of accomplishing this.”
The regional tournament will take place during the upcoming three weeks. The final two teams from both Southern and Northern California will meet in the state championship Dec. 3-5 at College of the Canyons in Santa Clarita.
With one title under his belt for 2010, Saucedo now looks at the bigger picture.
“Our goal is getting to that last game,” Saucedo said. “I think we have a chance.”
