Story By: Anayeli Patino, Staff Writer
Photo By: Melissa Martinez, Staff Writer
The Cypress College women’s soccer team started the 2026-2027 season with a 4-1-1 record. Last season, the team went 15-6-2 and were eliminated by Golden West in the third round of the SoCal Regionals.
Wanting to improve from last season, coach Hurtarte said, “We definitely want to get to a Final Four and give it our best shot to win one.” He also said that the team’s ultimate goal is to win a state final and a national championship.
When asked about how the team prepared for the season, coach Hurtarte said that they prepared with a summer class for a whole month. Now that the season has started, they train on days they’re not playing. “We spent a lot of time on the field with the athletes…we try to concentrate on tactical work, fitness, strength, and conditioning to get them through the season,” he said.
The Chargers opened up their season on Sept. 1 with a 3-0 victory against Palomar. They also went unbeaten at the Adidas Community College Showcase. For their home opener, they hosted El Camino and scored nine goals, seven in the first half and two in the second half. Sophomore Ilaila Ramirez led the way with four goals, while Sophomore Joey Duong scored three.
So far this season, the team has only allowed two goals in six games. Goalkeeper Evany Hernandez has held it down in front of the net with 25 saves. Coach Hurtarte said that team defense has been really good for them and that giving up the least amount of goals throughout the season will be their focal point.
When talking about if there is anything that needs to be worked on, coach Hurtarte said that as of right now he is letting the team play. He knows that building chemistry within the team does take time. He also knows that “cohesiveness and finding that chemistry and being able to trust each other and learn what you need to do on the field is going to be the biggest challenge for us.”
The Chargers’ next game will be at Mt. San Antonio on Thursday, Sept. 24 at 6 p.m.
