Recently, Contra Costa College’s women’s soccer coach, Jasper Garcia, and a few players on the team sat down for short interviews about the team’s recent performances and what adversities they have faced to be here today. According to Coach Jasper Garcia, the women’s soccer team hadn’t been running since the pandemic and was only recently revived. 

Garcia explained that CCC’s athletic department staff discussed the possibility of starting the team again, and asked him if he would be interested in coaching. “I was with the men’s side, they asked, I took some time to think about it and I took the position,” Garcia stated. 

In his interview, Garcia described the challenges he and the team have faced in restarting the team and looking for eligible players. One of the main challenges the team has faced is having enough players to play a full 11 versus 11 game. 

Garcia says that most of the current players were recruited and the team didn’t have traditional tryouts, but instead extended an invitation for any person at CCC or in the surrounding community to join the team. The team sits at about 10 to 15 players but struggles with player availability. 

So far the team has played about six games, losing five and winning one. Garcia isn’t upset about this and said that though one of the team’s objectives is to compete and win, he and the team must acknowledge that they are in a stage of development, and learning how to play together will take time. 

Co-captain Destiny Moreno also spoke on how the team has been doing. Moreno believes that as long as the team continues to stay positive and not dwell on their losses, they will improve and that playing as a team will still be enjoyable. 

“It is kind of hard but at the end of the day, it’s fun because if you like playing then of course it is gonna be fun,” Moreno said.

Anyeli Barrios, who serves as co-captain with Moreno stated that the team environment has always been positive. 

“Honestly, it’s pretty good,” Barrios said of the team environment. “I feel like we’re all a good team and welcoming.”

Barrios and Moreno were both selected by the coaches as captains during the team’s first game. 

When asked, Barrios said that she believes having supporters come to the games helps the team perform better. 

“I think it helps us, it gives us a boost to play better I feel like,” Barrios stated. 

Caitlyn Louis, another player on the team mentioned that she also feels it helps to hype up the team.

 “When people are cheering and being loud, it just makes the atmosphere lighter and the game more fun,” Louis stated. 

The team usually has games on Tuesdays and Fridays and has two upcoming home games on October 15th and 18th.