By Carleen Surrena @SURRENA_C
It was familiar territory for the Las Positas College women’s soccer team as they closed out their regular season with two more wins to add to their winning record this year. Sophomore night at home Nov. 8 versus Chabot, the women won 4-1 dominating most the game. Goal scorers included Mildreth Gil on an assist from Camila Fonseca, Aimee Ryan on an assist from Ashley Carlton, Yesica Morales on an assist from Fonseca and the final goal by
Rachel Blakely assisted by Madellin Alaina. Chabot was able to get one goal by with ten minutes remaining in the game.
The team’s final conference season win was a shutout. LPC beat Foothill College 2-0. Morales had one goal and one assist. The other goal was scored by Camila Fonseca. Goalkeeper Ali Nunes had six saves.
It has been a very dominant season for the women, 12-2-4 overall to be exact.
The team welcomed back sophomores goalkeeper Ali Nunes, defender Ashley Carlton, forwards Aimee Ryan Mackenzie Paulo and Yesica Morales and defender Mildreth Gil. A group that has helped lead the team to where it is today according to third year coach Paul Sapsford.
Morales who posted 12 goals and 9 assists on the season has been a constant competitor for the team this season so far and ranks amongst the state’s top 12 players in total points.
Nunes has 102 saves overall and 64 conference saves.
Carlton helped lead the defense to opposing offensive threats along the way while Gil who started all 18 games also helped keep offenses at bay. Ryan and Paulo each helped with their own share of goals and assists over the season.
In a report from Sapsford to the LPC staff he went over some of the record breaking achievements the team passed this year including the women scoring 73 goals which has been documented as being the most goals ever scored in a single season in the history of the program and the team also only gave up 20 goals which tied the college record for the fewest goals scored against a team.
He also noted the improvement of the team between 2004-2013 pointing out the average ranking was 19th in Northern California. In the last three years it has gone from 17th in 2014, to 13th in 2015 and this year (the best so far) 8th for 2016.
Sapsford has now taken the women to back-to-back postseason play in what has been at least a decade.
In the Hawks roundup online at the LPC athletics website Sapsford gave credit to players Rhiannon Adams for being a “real competitor and always giving 100 percent.” Coach acknowledged Britni Myre as well who scored 12 goals on the season and started in 13 games.
“I’m really proud of the sophomores and what they’ve done for the program when women’s soccer wasn’t well known,” Sapsford said. “I’m sort of in debt to the sophomores for turning this program around.”
LPC will play host in the first round of the NorCal Regional playoffs Saturday Nov. 19 at 1 p.m. versus Sierra College.