Women dominate non-conference schedule
Two-time Women’s World Cup champion Mia Hamm once said, “I am a member of a team, and I rely on the team, I defer to it and sacrifice for it, because the team, not the individual, is the ultimate champion.” That idea certainly rings true for the women’s soccer team at Salt Lake Community College.
These ladies are a team, not only on the pitch, but on the sidelines, in the classroom, and everywhere in between. So far this season, they are undefeated in non-conference — posting five straight shutouts to start the season — and setting the stage for an interesting and competitive run in the Scenic West Athletic Conference.
The players are connected in their goals and share an attitude that this team will accomplish great things.
“Obviously, our goal is to make it to nationals this year, but first win our first SWAC title, and kill it in the District tournament,” says Litzy Serna, a sophomore in her second year on the team.
The Lady Bruins truly exhibit that the team is the star, and each member is willing to go the extra mile for her teammates.
“My hope is that as we are only a two-year school, that we can improve by building better and better chemistry on the field as we all train hard together in practice,” says Drew Hanna, assistant coach for both the men’s and women’s teams. “If we can do this, our goals are achievable.”
The players all feel that they have a really good team this year, and believe that they have a real chance to be successful.
“We’ve been mainly focusing a game at a time and it has been going very well for us, staying on the same page,” Serna says. “Our team chemistry is starting to show, hopefully our work rate continues to peak so we can reach our goals.”
This is the hope for most teams, but it’s not often where the team comes together so quickly. They’re only a few games into the season, and the ladies are already in sync and winning games; it’s often not until halfway through a season that teams will be on the same page and know each other’s strengths and weaknesses like these ladies do.
“Off the field friendships are very important to our program,” Serna says. “Our culture is set by each individual on a daily basis, and it’s important that we’re all dialed in academically so that we can succeed athletically.
Everyone in the program is excited for this season, and are looking ahead with a lot of enthusiasm and positivity.
“Our goal this year is to get soccer’s banner up in the Lifetime Activities Center,” says Brendan Lucas, the goalkeeper coach for the Bruins. “It’s been something the team’s been working toward for the entirety of the short life of the soccer program at SLCC.”
These ladies are looking to make history as the first team to win their conference, but they also hope to do more, with the help of their school, teammates, and coaches.
Men build momentum early in 2018
Soccer, or futbol, is nicknamed the “beautiful game.” If you watch our men’s team at Salt Lake Community College, you can understand why.
The currently undefeated Bruins connect passes and score goals with such ease that it almost doesn’t seem like they’re working that hard. This group of young men are amazingly talented and well-rounded individuals that come together to make a spectacular team.
“I am most excited this season to be able to be around players that have a winning mentality. They train hard every day and it makes the games fun when they do well,” Hanna says.
This is apparent when you watch the team play; every second they are on the field, they are looking to do their best and win the match. In their most recent contest, SLCC beat Sheridan College, 10-0.
The men’s roster is full of strong and talented athletes, many of which come from different countries such as New Zealand, Mexico, Uganda and Greece. This convergence of talent has propelled the Bruins into the national rankings for the first time in team history.
The Bruins are one example of the power of sports, bringing people from all over the world to play alongside one another on the soccer field, with one goal. The energy behind this team is reflected by the expectations of their coaches.
“My hopes for the teams are to win the conference and region, to advance to the national tournament,” Hanna says.
While hopes for both the men’s and women’s sides are extremely high, they are nothing if not attainable for each team.
“Records are looking good, but we can’t rely upon that to make the team successful. We need to be working each and everyday to earn those wins,” Lucas says.
The soccer teams at SLCC have remained undefeated up to this point, and are looking to make a strong run once they enter into conference play.
“This is just our first mile in the marathon that is our season,” Lucas says.
Support the soccer teams at Zions Bank Stadium in Herriman for all their home games.
