The No.1 men’s soccer team will play for the Orange Empire Conference championship for the first time in 26 years, as they look to make history and end the season on a high note going into playoffs.
The success for men’s soccer this season, it can all be summed up by the team’s motto, “Play for Perfection.”
At the beginning of the season, the team had no idea they would be playing for the championship. They took every training session and every game they played to be the best version of themselves and eventually things would fall right into place.
Through the off season and into the regular season the players managed rigorous schedules with weightlifting, training, study hall, tutoring, and academic appointments. With all that being said the team were driven to maintain GPAs above 3.0 and work for academic scholarships.
“It is not easy to be a student-athlete and it’s not any easier to be a member of the Fullerton College Men’s Soccer program,” said Coach Greg Aviles. “As we are very demanding and are about honesty in all we do. These men have shown everything that it takes to be a member of our family and why they will always know how to find success in all they do.”
The Hornet’s hard work has paid off with the programs most successful season (15-2-2, 10-1-2 OEC) ranked fourth in the CCCSIA Men’s Soccer Rankings.
The team has already broken the record for the programs most wins in a single season (15) and most shutouts (10) and are on pace to break most goals for a the 2018 season.
The Hornets success can be their distinctive style of play. As many teams soccer focus on possession of the ball or aggressively pushing the ball forward the Hornets focused on putting emphasis on creating high pressure at the opponent’s defensive half.
The grueling sessions and time everyday put into perfecting the scheme helped bond the team.
“We press teams high up the field which requires more than the average amount of running but this is who we are and everybody bought in,” said CJ Wood, captain of the team. “Looking over and seeing the same group of guys sweat and become exhausted with you every day for one thing becomes pretty special. The hard work since the summer and commitment to giving this season our best effort was the goal and I believe our record shows this.”
In order for Fullerton to attain the conference title, the team must win or tie against Golden West College, who is one of the only teams to beat FC away this season.
“Sky is the limit for these guys. They have bought into our Pillars (Faith, Family, Futball, Men of Integrity, Intelligence, and Intention). They worked through the process and now they are making it their own,” said Coach Aviles.
The Hornets will play for conference title today at 3 p.m. vs. Golden West.
