The bad news: the LPC men’s soccer team saw its shutout streak come to an end. After holding their opponents scoreless in five straight games, the Hawks surrendered two goals in the Sept. 23 home game against the College of the Redwoods.
The good news: the Hawks scored nine goals and their unbeaten streak remains alive at eight games.
After the 9-2 win over the Corsairs from Eureka, Las Positas (7-0-1) has outscored opponents 27-4 this season. The Hawks’ hot start to the 2025 season has them moving up the rankings.
The latest national poll from the United Soccer Coaches, released Sept. 23, had the Hawks at No. 12 in Division III of their Junior College rankings. DeAnza College was the only other Northern California school in the top 20.
In 3C2A’s debut men’s soccer rankings of the season, released Sept. 16, Las Positas landed at No. 13 in California.
The Hawks faced big question marks heading into the season. Star freshman striker Saul Tecle — who the United Soccer Coaches selected last season as National Player of the Year — transferred to UC Davis, a Division I program. Frank Hinostroza, co-star on the Hawks’ squad that made the playoffs and upset the No. 1 team in 2024, also left the team for personal reasons.
But the Hawks have answered those questions. Head coach Andrew Cumbo said his team’s start hasn’t happened by accident.
“I think we’ve got good leadership on the field,” Cumbo said at practice. “In terms of all the players, some guys are a little older, a couple of them have been here for two years, but overall, just good leadership all over the field. They train well, and they take their craft seriously. I think that leadership is really important.”
The Hawks looked sharp from the opening whistle, with goals coming from multiple players yet again, proving just how balanced and dangerous this squad can be.
That leadership has translated into a strong and great group of players. Las Positas isn’t just leaning on one star striker. Goals are coming from everywhere.
“Everybody’s getting a little bit involved in the goal scoring,” Cumbo said. “That’s always important when you have multiple goal scorers.”
Team captain Arteen Arianmanesh agrees that the Hawks’ success is about more than just talent.
“I think it’s just like the work ethic compared to the other teams,” he said. “We’re all willing to work for each other, and we all want to win really bad, and it shows on the field.”
Arteen also points to team chemistry as a key factor.
“On the field, we don’t really argue,” he said. “We talk positively to each other, which helps. I just try to keep everyone’s head up when they make mistakes and keep the energy high during the game.”
Assistant coach Cristian Barbontin-Jimenez believes that culture is what sets the team apart.
“It’s not really a team — it’s more of a family, and everyone’s really bought into the brotherhood,” he said. “That’s what’s really kind of separating us from other teams.”
Now, Las Positas heads into one of the toughest conferences in the state. Cumbo knows the competition is about to ramp up.
“Tomorrow, we wrap up our last non-conference game. The idea is we’re going to finish undefeated at home and undefeated during the whole non-conference piece,” he said. “We start our conference on Friday. We’ve got to make sure we’re still sharp and still developing in other areas.”
Barbontin-Jimenez summed it up, saying, “Greatness is boring because it’s just repetitive. Doing everything the same way you’ve been doing it all season. As long as the standard is high on game day, I think we’ll be very successful.”
With the way the Hawks have been playing, they have established themselves as one of the toughest teams to beat heading into conference play.
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Top photo: Angel Rondon holds the ball as he surveys the field in the Hawks blow-out win over the College of the Redwoods. (Photo by Alan Lewis/ Special to The Express)
Annie Moore is the Sports Editor of The Express. Follow her on X @SanJoseAnnie.
