Women's Soccer Seeks First State Title
Throughout the Hartnell Women's Soccer team's 20-2-2 season, Head Coach Ivan Guerrero has reminded his players to focus on one game at a time.
That's no less true as the Panthers prepare to play their first Final Four game in the program's 25-year history. The closest the team has ever come to the California Community College Athletic Association (CCCAA) championship was reaching the quarterfinals in 2018.
Equally historic, they will be joined in the Final Four by the Hartnell Men's Soccer Team.
The Hartnell women, ranked eighth statewide, will face 10th-ranked Mt. San Antonio College (16-2-6) at 4 p.m. on Dec. 3 on the Mounties' home field in Walnut. The winner will play either Fresno City or Cypress for the CCCAA championship at 10 a.m. on Dec. 5, also at Mt. San Antonio.
The Panthers won three playoff games at home – 2-0 over Canada on Nov. 20, 1-0 over San Francisco on Nov. 23 and 3-2 over Sierra on Nov. 27.
"They are as happy as any athletes right now to get to this point," Guerrero said of his players. "I think they also understand there's still soccer to be played. They understand that we are in a position where we enjoyed it, we celebrated it. It is the first time in history, and now we are up to the next task.
"We haven't lost in 22 games, and we have to go 24 games without losing."
Evidence of Hartnell's many strengths can be found in Guerrero's selection as Coach of the Year in the Coast-North Conference, chosen by his fellow coaches, and in co-Player of the Year conference honors for forwards Belinda Ascencio and Carly Lowi.
Lowi, a sophomore from San Benito High School, has 17 goals and 11 assists this season. Ascenscio, a sophomore from Soledad High who gave up a scholarship to the University of California, Santa Barbara, to study and play at Hartnell, has 15 goals and 10 assists.
"Besides the goals, the biggest impact was knowing it was about the team," Guerrero said. "All they wanted to do was just win. They didn't care who scored or if it was one or the other."
The team's scoring prowess is backed by a formidable defense, anchored by sophomore defender and conference Defender of the Year Jada Taylor, also from San Benito High, and Elisa Solis from Everett Alvarez High School, named conference Freshman of the Year. Behind them is sophomore goalie Ency Soto, also from Everett Alvarez, who has been scored on only 13 times in 24 games, with a goal-save average of .683.
Guerrero said the state championship will go to the team that is most able to deal with adversity.
What it will come down to, he said, is "who has dealt with adversity best and who has made the most out of the opportunities."