Their record doesn’t matter anymore. Neither do stats or rankings.
The postseason is about confidence, and about leaning on the players who make things happen when it counts. For Hawks women’s soccer, Yulia Ikuta and Reece Bingham aren’t just scoring goals. They set the pace, spark the energy and give the rest of the team something to follow.
For a roster that’s small and dealing with injuries, that kind of presence can carry a team.
And that’s what makes this so important. In the playoffs, hesitation can be detrimental. Opponents know how to capitalize on doubt. For LPC, it’s about trusting what they do best and trusting the players who can make it happen.
If Ikuta and Bingham play with the confidence they’ve shown, the rest of the team can settle in behind them.
“I feel like if one person’s down, we’re all down,” Bingham said. “Or if we’re up, we’re up. We don’t take, a goal or a mistake and point fingers—I think we all point at everyone, not just one person.”
This philosophy she has is a sign that the team can stay as a unit while lifting up the ones that create the opportunities.
Las Positas (8-9-3) was awarded the No. 23 seed in the 3C2A NorCal Regional Playoffs. The Hawks will travel to Pittsburg on Nov. 19 to face No. 11 Los Medanos (13-4-1) at 7 p.m.
The Hawks ended the season on a high note, beating Skyline 3-0 in the season finale. Las Positas is one of only three teams in the 24-team field with a losing record.
But none of that matters now.
Los Medanos comes into this game with a bit of momentum. They have been winning consistently in conference play and have a ten-game win streak. This shows how confident and composed this team is on the field. They have a sharp attack, steady defense, and they do not give other teams room to breathe. For LPC, this will be a test of their focus and belief in themselves. They have to trust each other, play smart, and rely on their top players to make chances.
Yulia Ikuta and Reece Bingham have been the heartbeat of the Las Positas attack all season. Ikuta, though small in stature, moves with a confidence and quickness that makes her a constant threat. She finds pockets of space where others wouldn’t think to look, and when the ball comes her way, she knows how to finish. Reece, on the other hand, balances scoring with creating chances, pulling defenders out of position and feeding teammates. Both have shown they can step up when it matters most, and the team leans on that energy and reliability every game.
When Yulia and Reece are confident and playing well, the rest of the team seems to follow their lead. Their ability to capitalize on chances lifts everyone around them, giving the Hawks belief that goals can come even in tough moments. Without them, the offensive flow would stall, and the team would have to rely on lower-probability opportunities.
As the postseason approaches, Las Positas’ hopes will ride heavily on these two. How they handle the pressure, how they communicate with teammates, and how they create and finish chances will likely decide how far the Hawks can go. They’ve carried this team through stretches before, and now, with everything on the line, their confidence and composure could be the difference between an early exit and a great playoff run.
They only have 17 players to begin with, and nine injuries over the season pushed this team to its absolute limit. Every game has basically been a scramble to figure out who’s healthy enough to go, what positions need to shift, and how to survive the full 90. Physically, they’re smaller than most teams, too. the tallest player they’ve got is Allison Mitchell at 5-foot-8. They’re almost always up against opponents who are bigger, deeper, and able to rotate fresh legs whenever they want.
But somehow, that’s what’s held this team together. They’ve had no choice but to lean on each other, communicate constantly, and play with a kind of urgency that only comes from knowing there’s no backup coming off the bench. And even with everything stacked against them, they’ve found ways to compete. They stay organized, they fight for every ball, and that’s what it’s going to take to steal one in the postseason.
Las Positas is heading into the postseason as the obvious underdog, and honestly, that’s just the reality of having a tiny roster, dealing with injuries, and constantly having to reshuffle the lineup to survive week to week. They don’t have the height most teams lean on, they don’t have the numbers, and they definitely don’t have the luxury of endless substitutions. Even their biggest scoring threat, Yulia Ikuta, is one of the smallest players on the field every single game.
But somehow, that’s become their strength. Being this thin forces them to play for each other in a way that bigger programs don’t always have to. They defend with urgency, and they stay calm when the game gets messy. What they do well is pretty simple: they compete. They show up, they battle, they trust each other, and they don’t fold. And that’s what it’s going to take to win a game like this—full belief, full effort, and letting their top scorers set the tone when it matters most. Captain Amarais Andrade said it best.
“Every year here we should make playoffs, and that’s the type of expectation we all have of each other.”
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TOP PHOTO: Hawks women enter the playoffs undermanned and undersized. But that hasn’t changed their big plans. (Photo by Alan Lewis/ Special to The Express)
Annie Moore is the Sports Editor of The Express. Follow her on X @SanJosAnnie.
