Taft College Men’s Soccer Season Recap Ends in National Ranking

TAFT, CA – The season was a successful one for the Taft College Men's Soccer team, finishing with a 9-4-9 overall record and securing 15th in the final national poll in the Junior College Division III Men's Soccer Rankings according to the United Soccer Coaches organization. The United Soccer Coaches is the largest soccer coaches association in the world. Taft Men's Soccer was also ranked as high as #15 in the California Community College Athletic Association towards the end of the season.

Their performance in the Central Valley Conference was also impressive, as they had multiple players recognized for their outstanding ability and team effort. Emilio Gonzalez had a standout season, earning both Midfielder of the Year and a spot on the First-Team All-Conference. Joining Emilio on the First Team was Lisandro Ceja, Abraham Diaz, and Diego Nunez, all of whom had huge roles throughout the year.

Emilio was #5 in the conference with the most goals scored with 6 and most points with 15.

Several other players were also recognized for their abilities and hard work, with John Petryshyn, Damian Navarrete, and Brian Tufino earning Second-Team All-Conference awards.  Vladimir Gordillo, Jorge Castaneda, and Arturo Reyes were also recognized for their dedication to the team's overall success by receiving Honorable Mention awards.

Other statistical standouts in the CVC were Rommel Tarrin who was #2 in 7 goals against. Rommel was #1 with a 0.97 goals-against average.

Taft College Head Men's Soccer Coach Angelo Cutrona stated, "There were various moments throughout the season where we had unexpected injuries which caused constant tactical lineup changes. These unfortunate situations and obstacles that the team faced allowed for the younger inexperienced players to have more of an opportunity to step up and contribute to the overall outcome of the season. The freshmen class were able to experience the level of intensity and physicality it takes to have a winning season. All in all, I am very proud of the team's collective effort and looking forward to using this season's 15th national finish as motivation for the following season."

Despite facing various challenges throughout the season, the team's collective effort and team performances helped the men's Cougar soccer team finish as one of the top junior college teams in the country.

This 2024 national ranked season gives Taft College men's soccer a total of 12 national ranked seasons.