FREMONT — Sophomore defender Mark Sorenson mumbled to himself as he came to the sidelines. His white jersey was soaked with sweat and rain. He angrily plopped onto the grass and sat there, arms resting on his knees, staring at the action still going and slowly shaking his head.
Sorenson was frustrated. He wanted to go back in. He didn’t want the few minutes of rest coach Andrew Cumbo demanded he take. After a couple of teammates asked what was wrong, he made it clear he didn’t want to sub out.
“You need a break!” was the response that bounced back to him.
The Hawks were in a battle. It was physical and tense. Yells for passes echoed across the field. Fury was aimed at the referees. Hard hits and sketchy tackles piled up.
Sorenson, like his teammates, wanted all the smoke.
“Physical games are always hardest on your mind,” said Elijah Hanley, the Hawks’ sophomore defensive midfielder. “It’s a real test if you can keep your head in the game for 90 minutes.”
The Hawks won Sept. 30 due to their tight defense, a display of fortitude. Their communication was sharp. The team maintained composure against a physical Ohlone attack that outscored visitors 15-4 in six home games.
Dayton Dillman scored an unassisted goal in the sixth minute to give Las Positas the lead. The potent Hawks offense, which came into the game averaging 3.4 goals, couldn’t get much else going against the physical Renegades.
But the LPC defense was ready for the fight. Defenders Jose Valencia, Angel Rondan, Mark Sorenson and Gio Pinon kept the ball outside the Hawks’ zone for most of the game. The Hawks allowed just four shots — none on goal — and secured a 1-0 victory.
It was LPC’s seventh consecutive win. The Hawks (9-0-1) are unbeaten through 10 games. It’s the program’s longest unbeaten streak since 2017, when they went 11-0-5 before losing in the second round of the postseason.
Last season, the Hawks started the season with a six-game winning streak but struggled in conference play, finishing 5-5-3 and earning the No. 17 seed in the NorCal Regional Playoffs.
This game demonstrated the Hawks can win a physical battle. Tuesday, they proved they can keep their cool in tense situations. Like last year, the Coast Conference was going to test the Hawks. They open the conference schedule with five consecutive road games. Their will would be tested. So far, Las Positas is 2-0, looking sharp and ready for conference play.
“And we have tough games,” Cumbo said. “We’ve got a lot of tough games coming up. … We’ve got a huge game Friday against Evergreen. So we’re just trying to take it one game at a time.”
In practice, the Hawks have emphasized communicating passes and creating channels. Every game and every practice, Cumbo can be heard yelling, “Channels! Channels!” The emphasis showed up on the field. A clean pass across the midfield from Haku to Kramer connected with Dillman, who found the back of the net.
The Hawks created other clean looks and navigated the field as if it were home. But the results weren’t there as multiple shots bounced off the post.
“We’re just really close,” Cumbo said. The balls weren’t going in, and opportunities were there.”
Typically, the Hawks finish those. They’ve scored at least three goals in five of their nine wins.
But Ohlone wouldn’t allow the Hawks to find a rhythm.
“The toughest thing about playing Ohlone was the counterattacks,” Dillman said. “Our defensive line stepped up the whole match and gave us another clean sheet for our record.”
The game was tough. The physicality led to some tough hits. Ohlone earned two of the three yellow cards handed out. The other went to Hanley, who Cumbo subbed out. Hanley already has a red card this year. Another red card — which he would have received had he picked up a second yellow card — would result in him being disqualified for the rest of the season. So Cumbo benched Hanley to protect him from that risk.
At halftime, Cumbo said he told his team to limit the fouls. He said he felt they listened. The Hawks’ ability to stay composed and not get wrapped up in the physical play helped them maintain discipline and keep Ohlone out of the net.
It was an important test. The schedule only gets harder. Evergreen Valley is up next on Friday.
The Hawks know conference play won’t ease up. But the 1-0 win over Ohlone proves Las Positas is ready to win the pretty games and the ugly ones.
“We all wanted it,” Hadi Jaber said. “Everyone wanted it.”
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Top photo: The Hawks went on the road at Ohlone and came out with a win because of their collective toughness. (Photo by Annie Moore/ The Express)
Annie Moore is the Sports Editor of The Express. Follow her on X @SanJoseAnnie.
