Story by Aaron Turner/ Photo by Eric Sun
For Rams women's soccer coach Jeff Wilson, preparation is key. That's why he purposefully scheduled games against multiple nationally ranked teams to begin the 2019 campaign.
After a pair of 1-0 defeats to start the season in Ventura, the Rams (2-3-0) notched their first win of the year in a big way last Tuesday, defeating division rival Foothill 5-3 at home in what was essentially a Coast Conference preview. City were then able to win their second straight home game on Thursday, shutting out Diablo Valley College 3-0. Sophomores Natalie Gomez and Shaylah Youngdale each scored a goal against DVC, with freshman Julie Madriz adding a goal of her own.
The Rams were then defeated in their third home game of the season on Sunday, falling 2-0 to Lake Tahoe college, the #4 ranked JUCO program in the nation. CCSF will travel north to Fairfield to take on Solano College on Tuesday before returning home to face SRJC on Friday.
"Finding a little more consistency in our play is the main goal right now," head coach Jeff Wilson said on Monday. "I wanted to challenge the team with some tough games early on. All three of our losses were against nationally ranked opponents, so they will only make us better going forward."
With a deep roster full of local talent, Wilson is eager to see just how fast his team can grow and improve, especially freshman midfielder Gabriella Rodil, who scored her first collegiate goal in the team's 5-3 win against Foothill.
"She's coming off of two ACL injuries in high school," Wilson said. "Now that she's healthy, I'm excited to see how she grows her game here at the next level."