Devin Bradshaw
The Las Positas Women’s Soccer team has been on a tear, having rallied off five straight wins after beginning the season 3-5-1. Head coach Andrew Cumbo’s head first mentality has allowed the team to avoid the drop off from their successful run under former coach Paul Sapsford.
The success the Hawks women’s soccer team is experiencing now is not by accident. There was no walk in the park, no honeymoon phase it was all systems go from day one. The Hawks faced off against four NCAA Division II teams to begin the season, which was the main reason for the rough start.
“I put together a really tough strength of schedule for our first nine games, which were all non-conference games. The five losses we picked up then are against the top five teams in the north, and they’re actually all in the top eight in the state.” Cumbo said. “Competing against those high-level teams was not easy, but our focus was on trust, hard work, open communication and development, and we took a lot out of those experiences. That gave me the opportunity to lay the foundation with the veterans and also the new midyear transfers who came in.”
The team’s veterans buying in has been huge for the team and allowed them to form a tight knit bond that will carry them through the rest of the season. They have begun Coast-North Conference play with a record of 5-0 and are in sole possession of first place in the conference.
Midfielder Camryn Adams has been a revelation for the Hawks. Adams’ growth and development has softened the blow of losing one of the most productive players from a year ago, Paola Samanieggo.
She has eight goals and four assists for a total of 20 points through 14 games. That’s well ahead of the pace Samanieggo set when she finished with seven goals and six assists for 20 points the entire season.
“Cam’s a great player and a great person too,” said Cumbo. “She has been very coachable. She’s made a lot of progress, and she still has a high ceiling. She’s very talented on the ball, she works hard and she’s got a great personality.”
The Hawks will depend on Adams and the bond that they have created to make a further run into the postseason where they have suffered disappointing exits in the first round in back to back years.
They will look to continue their perfect conference record against San Francisco City College, which is also undefeated in conference play and has the same record of 8-5-1. This will be the game that provides the most answers about who this Hawks team is this season.
“Our focus right now is one game at a time,” Cumbo said “We go to CCSF in a very important conference game. We have some boxes we want to check off and doing so should help us get closer to new experiences in the second half of November.”
The Hawks will look to continue their impressive win streak through the rest of the season and will bank on their team chemistry to carry them through.
“The team is supportive of each other and in a good place right now.” Cumbo said “The season gets tougher over the next four weeks and the plan is to continue to make progress.
