Martin Gallegos
@martingboxing
Mens Soccer
Head Coach Larry Aguiar leads his squad into the new season looking to get rid of the bad taste left over from the team’s heartbreaking overtime loss to City College of San Francisco last year in the first round of the playoffs. The Hawks are off to a nice 2-1 start to the season, winning their last two games over San Joaquin Delta College and College of the Redwoods. Freshman Salvador Morales is leading the charge for the Hawks with four goals in the team’s first three games. The Hawks will begin Coast Conference North Division play on September 29 against West Valley College. One key matchup to watch is the team’s October 2 playoff rematch on the road against City College of San Francisco. The team is relying on a new cast of characters as nine of their 11 starters are freshmen. Interesting fact: The Hawks got a little more diverse this offseason with the addition of Takashi Fukushima, a native of Noda, Chiba in Japan.
Womens Soccer
After missing out on the playoffs last season, the women are off to a 2-1-1 start to the 2015 season. Their most recent game on September 8 was a 13-0 blowout over Merritt College that featured three goals from sophomore midfielder McKenzie Cuellar and three assists from freshman Yesica Morales. The team begins its conference play September 22 on the road against Hartnell College. The starting lineup features seven freshmen and returning goalscorer Maddy Umidon. Interesting fact: Head Coach Paul Sapsford took a visit to Valdebebas, Spain this offseason and visited the training complex of Real Madrid, home of Cristiano Ronaldo, who is universally referred to as the best player in the world. Real Madrid is one of the most popular and successful soccer teams in the world. He was able to score the trip with help from his former teammate Paul Clement, who currently serves as an assistant coach with Real Madrid.
Cross Country
Another season, another strong showing by coach Steve Navarro’s men. The LPC mens cross country squad currently sits third overall in the official NorCal rankings. At the Warrior Open this past Saturday, Harral Maria finished third overall in the 4k run for the women while Jason Intravaia earned a first place finish for the men. Expect these two runners to be joined by a few other from the Hawks at the State Championships in Salinas this November. LPC had a bit of a down year last season as they only sent one runner, Juan Morales, to state.
Mens Water Polo
Led by Cal alum Robert Arroyo and assistant coach, current LPC swim and dive head coach Jason Craighead, the Hawks are all set for their inaugural season. The first event for the team takes place September 11 at West Valley College for the Nyquist Tournament. Their first home game will go down October 2 against Merritt College, which is also the start of the team’s conference play. New teams usually get off to a slow start, but coach Arroyo is looking to begin the season with a bang.
Womens Water Polo
Just like the men, the women are preparing for their first season ever at LPC. Head Coach Trevor Rose takes his team to American River College on September 10 for the American River Tournament, first ever tournament for LPC. The first home game for the women will happen September 30 against City College of San Mateo. This will also be their start of conference play. Joining Rose as an assistant coach is Kate Faix-Bennett, who played and coached at Sonoma State before earning her Master’s at Cal State East Bay.