CCCSIA State Poll: Women | Men

The Las Positas College women's soccer team continued its unbeaten start to the 2021 season and is currently ranked No. 3 in this week's California Community College Sports Information Association (CCCSIA) State Poll. The LPC men's soccer team is also on a roll, having won four straight and also moved up to the No. 11 spot in the state rankings.

The women are 7-0 this season and coming off a 2-0 victory over Los Medanos College on Tuesday. The Hawks have shutouts in six of those contests and have outscored their opponents by a staggering 41-1 margin this season. Freshman forward Caitlyn Garrison has played a big part of the offense and currently leads the state in goals with 11.

Las Positas received 193 points in the poll as well as two first-place votes. Santiago Canyon College (5-0) moved into the top spot this week with 196 points, followed by previous No. 1 Cypress College (5-0) with 195 points.

LPC's men have just one loss on their record this season, checking in at 6-1 after Tuesday's 4-1 victory against Ohlone College. The Hawks have three shutouts on the year and are averaging five goals per game this season. The men also boast the state's leading goal scorer in sophomore Saul Gutierrez. He's found the back of the net 10 times this season.

Leading both programs this season is Andy Cumbo and a very talented staff of assistants. Cumbo and his coaches are excited to see both teams playing at such a high level so far this year.

"I'm pretty sure this is the best start for the combined soccer teams, and I know it definitely is since I've been the coach of both teams here," said Cumbo. "It's uncommon for both soccer teams at this level to have the same soccer coach, but the model appears to currently be working for us here at LPC. I enjoy coaching both genders, and my main goal is to produce a competitive, and supportive environment that includes talent, respect and fun.

"Clearly the players are the ones who are making it all happen through their commitment and talent, he added. We know it's a long road ahead with conference opening up next week, but we are taking it one game at a time and enjoying each step as we move forward together."

Tyler Hoffman, associate head coach for the men and women, knows the hard work it took for the teams to get to this level.

"I don't know if we can call it a successful season yet," said Hoffman. "There is a lot of steps to be made before we can call it that. But Coach Cumbo put in a lot of work last year and this summer. He was able to get them through COVID while training and playing some games last year. Not everyone else was able to at the same level."

Steven Morgan, goalkeeper coach for both teams, is proud of the way his keepers are playing this season.

"Dari (Dariana Mihalache) is not only a good shot stopper but works well with her defense to organize things the way that benefits her and the team," Morgan said. "The women also trust Dari with her decision making. Dari's distribution also takes some of the pressure off our defense.

"I would say the men goalkeepers (Garrett Aslup/Miguel Cortez) have contributed with playing the right type of balls to assist with moving the ball up the field," he said. "They are working to make their presence on the field more known by becoming more threatening to through balls and high balls."

Omid Eibagi, a volunteer assistant coach for LPC men's team, earned All-American honors while a member of the Hawks' unbeaten in conference 2017 squad. He can see a distinct difference between the 2017 and 2021 teams.

"I think it really took us time in 2017 to buy in to the system and play with our line of confrontation," Eibagi said. "It wasn't until conference play where we started to really embrace it. With these guys this year, I don't think there's been any problems buying into the system. Technically and athletically, this year's group is much better than we were. Depth is also something this team has that we didn't."

Cumbo has relied heavily on his staff this season and knows they are vital to both programs.

"The coaches are a huge help and a big reason for our success this year," Cumbo said. "I couldn't be happier with my coaching staff. They are all independent thinkers, self-starters and very professional.  All three of them played for me in club and or in college, so there's a deep level of respect and trust.  Interestingly, not only were me, Tyler and Steven all goalkeepers when we played, we all have undergraduate degrees in philosophy.  It's a great group and we have some interesting perspectives and conversations.  They are a major reason for our strong start to this season."

The Hawks looks to continue that strong start on Friday (Sep. 24). The two squads host Merced College in a doubleheader starting at 4 p.m. with the women's game followed by the