The women’s team might have fell short at the CCCAA State Championships but they are still winners in many ways.

The Mounties played exceptionally this season.

After winning the South Coast Conference Tournament, they also made their first appearance in the CCCAA State Championships in 26 years. The Mounties were on a 19-game unbeaten streak until their run ended at the semifinal by the Hartnell Panthers.

The team ranked No. 5 in the NJCAA DIII Women’s Soccer Rankings with a 16-3-6 record. It was the highest ranking the team has ever been since the implementation of this poll.

The Mounties had an up-and-down start early in the season. After winning their season opener, they lost to Ventura Pirates in their second game before bouncing back to win the Mt. SAC Nike/Azteca Soccer Tournament. They then lost to the San Diego Mesa Olympians.

The team was 3-2-0 after the first five games in the season.

Yet after that defeat, the Mounties went on a 16-game unbeaten streak and improved their record to 14-2-5.

The five tie games were against the San Bernardino Valley Wolverines, Golden West Rustlers, Cerritos Falcons and Rio Hondo Roadrunners.

Two out of five of the ties were 0-0 games against the Rio Hondo Roadrunners. That first tie allowed the Roadrunners to claim the division title of the season and forced the Mounties to finish in second place.

The second tie between these two teams came during the South Coast Conference Tournament final. After a scoreless draw in regulation, the game went to a penalty shootout, in which the Mounties outscored the Roadrunners 4-2 to claim victory.

That would not be the last time these two teams would come head to head.

Their third game came during the third round of the SoCal Regional. It ended in a 1-1 draw in regulation, and neither team were able to find another goal after the extra time. This resulted in another penalty shootout and a similar result. The Mounties were once again triumphant over the Roadrunners by a score of 4-3 to advance to the semifinal.

Then the Mounties met the Hartnell Panthers from Northern California. Although the Mounties were playing aggressively and trying to score early, it was the Panthers that would streak first just a little over 30 minutes into the first half. They later doubled their lead just before halftime.

The Mounties tried to get back into the game and managed to get one on the Panthers at the last minute, but time ran out before they could tie the game. Despite outshooting the Panthers by 14-9, the Mounties could not find the back of the net and lost 1-2.

This was their first loss since September and with this loss, the Mounties’ amazing season came to an end.

Although the journey may not have ended the way that family, friends and fans would have hoped, it was still remarkable. This team had shown an accelerating style that was very exciting and entertaining to watch. Many players even received awards for how well they performed.

Defender Frida Monsalvo (11) was named 2021 United Soccer Coaches Women’s Junior College National Scholar Player of the Year, and she is the first Mountie to be awarded with this honor. She was also named in the Women’s 2nd Team All-American and 1st Team All-West Region.

With this momentum and several players returning, next season should be promising.