The Las Positas women’s soccer team managed only one win in its first six games of the season. The only win? A forfeit against Yuba, which couldn’t field enough players.
While discouraging, the Hawks’ start wasn’t necessarily surprising.
Head coach Andrew Cumbo made sure the start of the team’s schedule would be tough. It included opponents such as Folsom Lake, the defending Champions from a season ago, and Chaffey, another current state championship contender. It’s a strategy Cumbo believes will pay off later in the season.
“Our schedule is super tough,” he said, “and we do that on purpose because we want them to have that experience of seeing who the best teams are. Typically, from my experience, they need to kind of see all that early on in the year, and that usually pays off once we get into league play.”
As the Hawks get nearer to their conference game schedules, it seems Cumbo’s plan is coming to fruition.
The Hawks have followed their initial 1-4-1 start to the season by winning three of their last five, including three straight shutout victories. The team managed to score nine goals in those matches, while only allowing two and four, respectively, against Hartnell and West Valley. Both of those programs were as good as the early season foes, each holding a 70% win rate this season.
While the team has been able to find more consistent scoring, the centerpiece for the team’s resurgence has been their goalkeeper, Mia Lemus. Entering their game against Hartnell, she ranked first in Coast Conference North for goals against. Even after the loss, she still ranked in the top three in all goalkeeping statistical categories. The loss to West Valley pushed her out of the top five in some categories, with her still being third in saves.
Similar to most athletes at the start of their journey, Lemus had to adjust and find what worked best for her and her team, allowing better camaraderie and team cohesion, not just with the players but also her coaches.
“I didn’t have the best goalkeeper experience growing up,” Lemus said, “but with Cumbo, Carlo, CJ, they essentially helped me work a lot more, get along with my team, and I just can’t possibly imagine a win without all the ladies.”
In the match against the Diablo Valley Vikings on Sept. 27, Lemus presented her goalkeeping instincts that have led to her statistical success. With a few minutes remaining in the first half, the Vikings caught the Hawk defense off guard, creating a chance for what would be their first goal of the match. The shot was hit hard and close to Lemus, giving her nearly no time to react. But Lemus still managed to get her palms on the ball, pushing the shot wide and keeping the Hawk’s clean sheet alive, eventually ending the game in a shutout.
“I try to keep my mind clear as possible,” Lemus said. “And for that save, honestly, I was happy I was able to get it in time.”
FOCUSED ON GOAL: The Hawks’ Mia Lemus has proven to be one of the best goalkeepers in California at the junior college level. (Photo by Ian Kapsalis/ The Express)
While Lemus has been a key contributor to the team’s recent defensive success, she isn’t the only Hawk who has stepped up. The whole team has been playing better as a unit with more synergy, causing them to play a more overall stout defensive game.
Although finding the team’s rhythm was difficult at the start of this season’s difficult schedule, they have now started to find their stride.
“We did way better. We connected way more. We communicated. Passes were going to each other, and we just bonded more, honestly,” freshman striker Daisy de la Torre said in response to the Hawks’ victory over Diablo Valley.
The team’s second striker Kendall Cornwell agrees and mentions how support from her team as a whole has significantly impacted her playstyle and how she performs throughout her games.
“If I don’t have the support, then I can’t really play my best from like my teammates or my coach and they do a good job or showing the support that they need to.”
Kailey Matta, a sophomore defender for the Hawks, has tried to keep a calm composure when defending throughout the season, despite the difficult start.
“I just try to keep my cool,” Matta said. “I like to look at the ball, not necessarily their feet. Sometimes, when they move a lot, it’s to trick you. But if you pay attention to the ball, you know it’s not going to go anywhere, and you just focus on that.”
With the Hawks’ difficult start out of the way and some positive results to build off of, the team is focused on making sure they capitalize on the lessons learned from playing those difficult teams to start the year. After all, to be the best, you have to be able to beat the best.
Top photo: Alyssa Houlihan (middle) celebrates the goal scored by Daisy De La Torre (left) in the Hawks’ 5-0 win over Diablo Valley. (Photo by Ian Kapsalis/ Special to The Express)
Francis Kennedy is the Sports Editor for The Express. Follow him on X, formally Twitter @kennedy_aloisf.
