A great second stretch of the season saw the COS Men’s Soccer team make history on multiple fronts with their first-ever Central Valley Conference Championship and first-ever appearance in the playoffs. The Giants season ended in the regional round of playoffs with a loss at American River 3-0.
After starting the season at a meek 2-7-2, the COS Men’s soccer team had a steep mountain to climb to have a positive season. But after four straight losses from late September to early October, it only took one victory to change everything for the Giants. The team went on to go undefeated in their last 10 games, winning 9 of them with 7 clean sheets. When asked about what caused the sudden turnaround, defender Julian Estrada said, “There was not as much chemistry and togetherness in the first half of the season [compared] to the second half.” He points to their win against then #1 ranked Taft College as the key point in the season. “It woke us up and had us realize that we can be CVC champions if we play to the best of our abilities.”
The Giant’s defense most notably stepped up with these 10 games, only allowing 3 goals, while the team went on to score 21 goals.
The team was also awarded three individual awards for their great efforts this season. Coach Renato Bustamante won CVC Coach of the year in his very first year as the Head Coach. Coach Bustamante said this about his award, “Honored to receive the Coach of the Year award in my first year as a college head coach. This is a reflection of the hard, smart, and focused work done by the players and the rest of the coaching staff.”
Midfielder Christian Trujillo won CVC Freshman of the year with 5 goals and 7 assists in his 19 starts, many of which were goal contributions that were the deciding factor in matches.
Captain and #10 Alejandro Saldana went on to win CVC Player of the Year. Coach Bustamante said this about their leader on the field, “Saldana has been a leader by example. His game understanding, work rate, technical abilities, and competitive nature was contagious to the group and we hope he continues to represent our program with class as he moves on from COS.”
Multiple players were voted on the CVC First Team, and Second Team honors. Christian Trujillo, Jose Herrera, Alex Saldana, Brian Perez, Adrian Lopez, and Ozzy Ibarra all made the CVC First Team. Zach Ramirez, Mathew Ramirez, Roy Bedolla, and Carlos Siliezar all got Second Team honors.
COS Men’s Soccer had an unforgettable season and the best of its history, landmarking the most wins in program history, alongside their first CVC Championship. The program hopes to build on this and keep similar success for the future.