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By Rachel Nading
By Rachel Nading
Imagine a hot summer day filled with grueling activity and fierce preparation for a winning season.
This very setting is a day in the life of the men’s and women’s soccer team. The Riverside City College men’s and women’s soccer team started practicing two months before school started on Aug. 28. They have practice five days a week for two hours and 15 minutes. It’s definitely not easy to practice but it can get the teams closer to achieving a great season.
The men’s soccer head coach Francisco Melgarejo said that soccer is, “more physical than mental.”
When asked to compare and contrast last year’s team he said, “100 percent better,” with a record one win and two losses there on there way to becoming a better team.
They have played two top colleges, Rio Hondo and LA Mission, and lost those two games.
The men’s team also has injuries to worry about, but continue to press on.
Melgarejo seems confident in this year men’s team.
“We have the team to go far,” Melgarejo said.
With the season opener the men’s soccer team beat Chaffey 6-2 and went on to beat Imperial 2-0.
On the women’s front, injury is rampant with all of the starting players out. The women’s team opened the season with a 3-2 win against Chaffey and have gone on to win four more games.
Freshman Michelle Black contributed to two of RCC’s goals, one being the winning point in the last ten minutes of the game. Freshmen Justina Martinez assisted in two of Black’s goals and Black aided teammate Jessica Hanlon’s goal as well. Hanlon, a sophomore, shows a promising strength for the RCC team. In the most recent match on Sept. 19, Black was at it again, scoring two goals against the Saddleback defense, leading to a 7-0 shutout win in an Orange Empire Conference match.
Though their current standings are five and four, the women’s team is struggling to produce a promising season.
“We have filled some holes from last year,” head coach Lynsey Jalayer said.
The women’s team managed to open the season with a few victories, but has had its share of close defeats. With a season that’s nearly split down the middle, what can soccer fans expect?
“Were not quite there yet, but we have enough talent to have a great season,” Jalayer said. “The girls are more committed.”