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After a rough 2013 season, Los Medanos College soccer is off to a better start in the 2014 season.
In 2013 the soccer team did not score its first goal until September 24 in their fifth game of the season. They did not win their first game until October 18, the 12th game of the season. Both accomplishments came against Yuba City College.
In their first game of the season LMC did not get their first win, but they didn’t lose either as they played to a 2-2 tie against Sacramento City College.
It may not be a win according to the rules, but getting off to a good start is a win for the Mustangs.
The improvement was noticeable and Sacramento City College Head Coach Jang-Ha Oh was impressed with how hard they played considering his team controlled the ball most of the game.
“They kept up, they played hard, I give them credit,” he said.
LMC Head Coach Mark Bryant was impressed with the team’s play and noticed a change from the previous years. He said the team usually starts out slow and disconnected in the first game of the season, and while he didn’t feel they were completely connected they played well.
“They showed a lot of courage, a lot of heart,” he said. “Everybody stepped up. I thought all the players played fantastic there wasn’t anybody that didn’t have a good game so that was really nice to see.”
While Bryant believes that every player on the team played well, Forward Mikayla Farber and Center Chelsea Aikman scored unassisted goals in the tie game.
Farber’s goal came in the at 24 minutes on a free kick and Aikman scored the equalizer in the 79 minute on an unassisted shot.
It wasn’t perfect, it wasn’t pretty, but it was a moral win for the Mustangs and there is room to improve.
“I think we all have our little places that we need to work on,” Farber said. “So I think if we keep practicing it and practicing it, I think we will improve from here on out.”
There are improvements to be made but one player who couldn’t have played much better was goalie Randi Strain.
Farber and Aikman may have been the stars on offense, but Strain stopped 14 of 16 shots on goal and was the true star of the game.
While the first game of the season was a moral win for the Mustangs the next two didn’t go as well, even though the offense managed to continue scoring.
Losses at College of the Sequoias and at West Hills College Lemoore have dropped their record to 0-2-1.
The loss against the Sequoias was tough for two reasons. The first: LMC lost 6-1. The second: the Sequoias’ came into the game on a three game losing streak.
The Mustangs played much better in the most recent game against West Hills losing by a score of 3-2 and will look to use that strong performance as a building block heading into their next game when the College of the Redwoods comes to LMC.
The Mustangs play their next four games on the home turf with the first match against the Redwoods on Friday, September 12.