Depth and Experience Give Panthers Confidence

After his team split its first four games of 2021, Hartnell Women’s Soccer Head Coach Ivan Guerrero sees a strong season ahead thanks to talent, depth and “defensive-minded” intensity.

“It’s kind of cliché – ‘Defense wins championships’ – but we take a lot of pride in that,” he said, adding, “we go with that mentality every day, that we have to get a shut out regardless of how many points we score.”

The Panthers nailed that in their fourth game, winning 4-0 at home against Canada. They lost their first two games to playoff-caliber teams – first on the road at Clovis on Aug. 30 and at home against Cypress on Sept. 2, both by a 1-2 margin. Then they bounced back to beat Santa Barbara 2-1 at the New Balance Showcase in Ventura.

“We have a very talented group this year,” Guerrero said. “The expectations are very high. They just expect to perform at a high level.”

He sees strength up and down his roster of 32 women – all from the Central Coast.

“They know we’re going to take a run at the playoffs,” Guerrero said. “We’re going to be in the mix at the end of the season.”

Key to the Panthers’ defense is sophomore and team captain Jada Taylor, a sophomore from San Benito High School.

“She’s kind of the heart of the team,” Guerrero said. “Her work rate is just unbelievable.”

Playing right next to Taylor is Elisa Solis, a freshman from Everett Alvarez High School whom the coach said may prove to be one of the best defenders ever to play for Hartnell: “She’s that talented.”

“Their work is second to none,” the coach said of the pair. “They complement each other very well, and I think the whole team kind of feeds off of them.

“You don’t have to say much to show how things need to be done. They just show up every day, ready to compete.”

Guerrero also feels great about his offense, saying, “We have talent all over the place. I could give you a list of 10 girls who are just unbelievably talented.”

Behind the team’s depth is the fact that almost every single player from the 2019 team is part of the squad this year, including some who redshirted that year and then were unable to play in 2020 because of the pandemic.

“I think all of them felt that we had unfinished business because they knew how talented that group was,” Guerrero said. “They wanted to make another run at this.”

The Panthers will continue the non-conference portion of their season at home with a 12 p.m. start against Ventura, followed by a road trip to Cosumnes River in the Sacramento area. Then Hartnell is back home for two home games, starting with Allan Hancock on Sept. 21.

Guerrero predicted a “battle” against the undefeated Pirates of Ventura.

“It’s going to be a really tough game for us, but I think it’s going to be fun to watch,” he said. “When you have that much talent on the field, it’s the kind of game you want to have. It helps your game in the long run.”