Womens soccer off to a strong start
Womens soccer was off to an amazing start until SBCC ends a four game win streak.
Returning as Western State Conference champions for the first time in history with an impressive 15 wins, three losses and two ties. The Corsairs' goal is to push to even higher levels and uphold the program’s high personal, academic, and competitive standards. The Corsairs went on to play Southern California Regional round one playoffs but were eliminated after a 1-1 tie in regular time which led to a 3-2 loss in penalty kicks which was a devastating end to the season.
With the regular 2018 season underway, The Corsairs have managed to defeat their first four opponents: Oxnard College, Long Beach City College, El Camino College and MiraCosta College with a successful average of 5.25 goals per game. When asked about the teams preparation to take on Santa Barbara City College (SBCC) Head Coach Aaron Benditson says “If we want to obtain what Santa Barbara has obtained, getting into a state championship, making deep runs into the playoffs, we are gonna run into these types of teams. How do we react against them, how can we shape up against them? I just want us to be as confident and ready as we can be for the opportunity to play against them”.
Number six sophomore Antoinette Saldana crosses ball across field at Mira Costa College in Oceanside,Calif. September 7, 2018. (Samantha Morales/Corsair Photo)
Their only loss came yesterday against the state runner-ups, SBCC, who won 2-1. The SBCC Vaqueros finished their past season undefeated and imposed a great challenge to the Corsairs. “It’s about progressing everyday. I always tell the girls we are gonna test ourselves against the best in the state because that will give us a sense of really where we are at."
Despite a tough loss yesterday, the Corsairs are still off to a great start. The Corsairs' current top scorers are midfielders Antoinette Saldana and Filippa Struxsjo with seven and six goals respectively. “We have a lot of talented players, especially our sophomores” said Benditson, referring to who to look out for, “number six, Antoinette Saldana our center midfielder, she is one of our top players."
"We have a great international player, Filippa Struxsjo (midfielder no. 17) from Sweden. I am also very excited about our new freshman Ceirra Little (forward no. seven), she is super explosive, a dynamic runner with and without the ball, she is very exciting to watch," said Benditson.
He went on to say, "and last but not least I would say a newcomer that has come in and is gonna make an impact right away is Daily Ramos (midfielder no. 13), those are just a couple that really are sticking out and have already shown their quality on the field.”
Twelve new freshmen join the ten sophomores; adding novelty and power combined with the strong leadership skills required at higher level.
The team is trusted to be committed, competitive and seeking to improve from last season’s struggles and success. That is to find balance within a quick two-year rotational system after top players such as Daisy Serrano, Josseline Espinoza and goalie Emma Romero have moved on with their academic careers.