The Mt. SAC Men’s soccer team kicked off its season with eleven wins, three draws, and two losses as of Oct. 29. With only three games left in the season, the players still have their sights set on the playoffs.
Each season, the team sets high expectations for itself, chasing after another state championship which they last won in 2021. It’s been 15 years since the team won a national championship back in 2009, but taking that title home remains a priority.
“As the coaches have told us, everyone wants to beat Mt. SAC,” sophomore midfielder Allan Rosales said. “This program is the top out of any other program when it comes to community colleges and we can keep up with four-year universities.”
The team scrimmages against multiple universities, even drawing with CSU San Bernardino on Aug. 20. These scrimmages also give players a chance to be looked at by university coaches and recruiters for transfer.
The team has performed better at home with seven wins and one draw while competing on Mt. SAC turf. On the road, they have four wins, two draws and two losses. The team is currently ranked third nationally in Division III according to NJCAA as of Oct. 29
However, The rankings do not seem to have affected player morale.
“We like to focus on ourselves, not the rankings,” Rosales said. “I know with the team we have and the chemistry we have I know we can win the state title this year.”
The men’s team has had an impressive season compared to last season where they had a record of eight wins, nine draws and six losses.
Their most noticeable result was being able to get a draw against Phoenix College despite their long travel to Arizona and going down on the scoresheet early. Another impressive result is drawing against Oxnard College on Sept. 24 who are currently ranked first in the national rankings in division three.
Their final game of the regular season is on Nov. 1 against Long Beach City College at home.
The team has three games before the South Coast Conference tournament which begins on Nov. 8. They hope to continue strong and end the regular season maintaining their momentum for the SCC tournament to chase that state championship.
