SMC Women’s Soccer Gets Funding Assist From Santa Monica City Council

SANTA MONICA, CALIFORNIA - AUGUST 11: Santa Monica Mayor Caroline Torosis and Mayor Pro Tem Jesse Zwick during a City Council Meeting at Santa Monica City Hall on August 11, 2026 in Santa Monica, California. (Photo by Jerritt Clark | The Corsair)

Santa Monica College (SMC) Corsair midfielder (7) Lyric Gomez-Muniz celebrating what became the game winning goal on Wednesday, September 10, 2025, Santa Monica,Calif. The Cosairs won 1-0. (Tom Rosholt | The Corsair)

Santa Monica College Corsair Ariana Maldonado (21) scores a penalty kick during double overtime against the Citru College Owls in the first round of the 3C2A playoffs on Nov. 16, 2025, in Santa Monica, Calif. The Corsairs were eliminated after losing to the Owls in a penalty shootout, 5-4. (Tom Rosholt | The Corsair)

On Aug. 11, the Santa Monica City Council unanimously approved additional funding for Santa Monica College’s (SMC) women’s soccer team. Leading the measure were Mayor Pro Tem Jesse Zwick, Council Members Dan Hall and Natalya Zernitskaya, who brought it forward as the final discussion item of the night. The money closed a funding gap and was done “in support of student-athletes to achieve personal excellence in both academics and athletics,” according to the official meeting agenda. 

The funds appropriated from the Council Discretionary Funds included $5,000 allocated to Mayor Pro Tem Zwick and $2,000 each from Councilmember Hall and Councilmember Zernitskaya.

Annually, the City Council receives $140,000 from the City budget, with each of the seven City Council members receiving $20,000 to support local community programs, events and sponsorships. Council members must initiate an action item to use their allotted funds, which must be spent on initiatives that align with municipal spending guidelines set by the Santa Monica City Manager’s Office. 

“We love women’s sports,” said Santa Monica Mayor Caroline Torosis with a resounding “Yes!” coming from the rest of the City Council, when the discussion item was introduced.

This late item on the City Council agenda was added on Aug. 6, less than two weeks before the Alumni Game, and was formally adopted at the end of the six-hour meeting.

The Corsairs finished their 2025-26 season with a strong 13-6-3 (.659) record, going 9-3-2 (.714), which tied them for first place in the Western State Conference South Division with College of the Canyons. 

Despite their heartbreaking first-round penalty-kick loss (5-4) to Citrus College, the Corsairs had a season filled with team and individual highlights. Lyric Gomez-Muniz led the team as a sophomore with 17 of the team's 36 goals, while sophomore Jacinda Hevesy-Rodriguez was named Goalkeeper of the Year for the 2025 Western State South Division. 

Hevesy-Rodriguez was selected for the Women’s Soccer South All-State and All-Region Teams, and the 2025 United Soccer Coaches Junior College Women’s Scholar All-American Second Team, while maintaining a 4.0 GPA and majoring in psychology. 

The 2026-27 SMC Corsairs women’s soccer season kicks off on Aug. 18, with an Alumni Game, followed by an away scrimmage against Whittier College on Aug. 25, at 7 p.m. Their first regular season game will be played at home against Allan Hancock on Sept. 1 at 2 p.m.