The women’s soccer team started slow and finished at a snail’s pace with an eight-game losing streak.

Contra Costa College (1-19 overall, 1-11 in the Bay Valley Conference) also failed to score in all but one of those contests. The squad’s problems weren’t connected to road games; they also failed to eek out a single win at the Soccer Field.

First-year coach Amanda Beckenhauer took the driver’s seat after successfully earning the position as an assistant under new men’s coach Nikki Ferguson last year.

The bumps in the road came often and early. Only half of the team slated to return from last year returned to play for Beckenhauer in her inaugural season as coach.

“It was a disappointment when a lot of the players that we expected to play didn’t show up,” CCC defender Mary Salizar said. “We tried to talk to them and motivate some of them to stay but they weren’t committed.”

Despite an abysmal season, the first year head coach still has the confidence of the Comet athletic department.

“I don’t come to work looking to get rid of people. It’s about what’s in the best interests of the players and the students,” Athletic Director John Wade said. “I was hoping the carryover from being assistant would work but it’s still too early to tell. All coaches deserve opportunities, especially women. They bring things to the table that men don’t and I respect that.”

Many of the players on the team played out of their regular positions for the majority of the season, as substitutions were in short supply.

If there was a position that needed to be filled during a game because of fatigue or injury, Beckenhauer would put in any player she had on the bench even if the position was completely foreign to the substitute.

The squad played the last game, as they had in many this season, without enough players to fill every position on the field. Despite seemingly never having enough players the squad was only forced to forfeit one game against Yuba College. It was its lowest scoring loss recorded at 1-0. 

With no statistical standouts or team accomplishments to speak of the only realistic focus this team has it to become better than this year.

“Since I was a captain this year I should have carried on more of a leadership role,” freshman center Abigal Perez said. “I probably should have tried to motivate the girls we had more since so many of them quit.”

“All I look for is to see if someone is making improvements,” Wade said. “I’ll help, but I’m sure she knows she needs to find players to see what kind of coach she will turn out to be.”

In her first interview as coach Beckenhauer said, “The only reason I worry about our lack of depth is the risk of injury, other than that I can work with what we have.”

The lack of depth proved to be too much of an obstacle for the Comets to overtake. After scoring only seven goals in 20 games with an average of 4.6 shots per game, it’s incumbent of the coach to spend more time recruiting now that the season is over.