If the Bear Cubs play the season to their strength, a trip to the State Final Four is a realistic goal the Bear Cubs can achieve with the talent and heart this 2014 team demonstrates.
Beginning the season with an 8-0 drubbing of overmatched Lassen Community College, the Bear Cubs took on two-time defending state champs Cerritos College and made a strong showing despite, losing 3-1 due to an unintential handball call in the box and a physical breakdown in the final 30 seconds of the game.
Losing Kathryn Kane and Holle Depina to knee injuries against Lassen and Cerritos, respectively, added adversity to the starting lineup as well as the overall team depth. Head coach Tracy Hamm said, “We just need to do what we can at training and on game days to stay focused and positive regardless of the issues that are happening.” With only three eligible substitutes, the Bear Cubs have displayed the ability to compete with the top teams in the state of California and succeed.
Following an unfortunate loss at Mendocino College the Bear Cubs responded by defeating San Francisco City College 2-1 Sept. After trailing much of the game SRJC was awarded a penalty kick in the 77th minute that was converted for the equalizer by sophomore Kayleen Belda.
At 87 minutes, the Bear Cubs took the lead when freshman Julia Lambert assisted sophomore Mar Alina’s goal. SRJC’s victory over SFCC was a step in the right direction making the Bear Cubs the first NorCal team to beat the Rams in two years.
In the state playoffs, qualifications as well as seeding are contingent on a statewide power ranking. These rankings take into account record and strength of schedule. The Big 8 Conference traditionally sends six or seven teams to compete in the NorCal State Playoffs’ 16-team field. Playing in the Big 8 means a tougher conference schedule, which provides good opportunity to improve on the power ranking. The top two NorCal teams in the power rankings receive home field advantage throughout the NorCal State Playoffs.
With a 3-2 pre-conference recored, and a highly competitive 16-game conference schedule remaining, the Bear Cubs can set themselves up for a high seeding in the NorCal Playoffs.
With sophomores Mar Alinas, Kayleen Belda, Meilee Giron, Taylor Halstenson, Chelsea Frostick and others stepping up their level of individual play, a trend has been set; if that continues to spread throughout the whole team, it could be key to how far they go this season. If more players continue to step up their individual efforts and the team continues to gel as a unit, the Bear Cubs could enter the playoffs with a favorable seed.
Ultimately, winning conference and having a shot at returning to the State Final Four are difficult, but obtainable objectives for the season. Going forward, it’s up to the team to continue to grow and have more players establish an identity and presence on the field.
