Justine Chavez
@JUSTINECHAVEZ01
The last time LPC’s women’s soccer team made the postseason, “Billie Jean” was number one on the Billboard Charts. But the 26-year drought is over.
On Tuesday Nov.7, the Lady Hawks officially clinched a playoff spot.
The women put together a historic season, finishing 15-1-2 overall. They went 11-0 in the Coast Conference North Division and are currently riding a 12-game win streak.
The playoffs begin Sat. Nov. 18, here at home against Delta College.
“I am so proud of the ladies achievement and they should receive the acclaim they richly deserve,” Women’s soccer coach Paul Sapsford said. “The bigger the game is, the bigger they play so I’m really excited for playoffs.”
This comes one year after finishing 13-4 for what was then the best record in the program’s history. Ranked No. 7 in Northern California, they were eliminated in the second round of playoffs.
With seven players returning from that team, LPC is set out for a deeper run in to the postseason.
The Hawks have two stars leading the way.
One, is Paola Samaniego. She’s a forward who has proven to be a threat on the field. This season Samaniego scores a team-high 15 goals and finished with 34 points. Three of her scores were game-winning goals that helped keep their winning streak alive.
The other star is midfielder Camila Fonsea. She has a team-high 43 points. Her 23 assists as the most in the conference and she also has nine goals.
Not only have they proven to have a threating offense, but the defense is also doing their part week after week. Defensive midfielder Rhiannon Adams has been their biggest asset with her aggressive attitude and hunger. Adams is known to be all over the ball and blocks anything that comes her way.
Goalkeeper Jennifer Parker also plays a major role in the lady Hawk’s 15-2 record. She had 112 saves with a save percentage of .933. That’s the highest of any goalkeeper to ever step into the net at LPC.
For this seasons performance, awards were given out like candy to these deserving ladies. Camila Fonseca was chosen as conference Player of the Year, Rhiannon Adams was named Defender of the Year, Jennifer Parker is Goalkeeper of the year and Coach Sapsford was voted Coast-North Coach of the Year.
“This team has amazing chemistry and we’ve all worked very hard to get where we’re at,” Samaniego said. “Going into the playoffs we’re playing to win and losing isn’t an option.”