City College’s Oct. 17 1:00 p.m. game was held in Oroville, Calif. against the Butte College Roadrunners, last year’s national champions. Both the the Roadrunners and the Rams are 5-0 so far this season, and ranked no. 1 and 2 in the conference, respectively.
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A graphic representation of City College's new soccer field being built near Batmale Hall. The soccer team currently practices and plays on off-campus fields. ILLUSTRATION PHOTOGRAPHED BY ISAAC CRUMMEY / THE GUARDSMAN
By Nick Palm
STAFF WRITER
Construction of a new soccer field at Ocean campus, just east of Batmale Hall, has begun and should be completed by the end of the semester.
The project has been in the works since 2004 as part of the college’s Master Plan. The new Wellness Center was built after approval by the Board of Trustees on the previous site of City College’s soccer practice field.
According to Peter Goldstein, vice chancellor of finance and administration, the final plans for the new field were approved by the Board of Trustees during the last academic year. The total cost of the 110 by 70 yard field will be roughly $3 million.
Since the Wellness Center construction began, the Rams have played all home games at either Crocker Amazon Park or Boxer Field at Balboa Park. Most practices have been held at Crocker Amazon Park.
“We’re really happy that we’re going to have a home field on campus. It’s going to make things a lot easier for the players, coaches, and administrators; everyone involved,” said Gabriel Saucedo, head coach of the women’s soccer team.
“We did a lot of research in terms of the type of artificial surface,” Saucedo said. “We called a lot of colleges and universities to figure out which was the best way to go.”
The field will be comprised of the newest generation artificial turf, which is designed for durability. It will require less maintenance than grass and needs no irrigation system. The field itself will last much longer. It won’t warp or become wavy after heavy rains, and gophers will never be able to call it their home.
Saucedo added, “We made sure the dimensions of the field fulfill the minimum requirements of collegiate soccer regulations.”
During the field’s planning stages, the Sunnyside Neighborhood Association expressed concern on several issues the new field would create, such as added traffic, parking and noise.
Since then, the SNA has been included in all planning meetings for the new field. All concerns have been addressed during the meetings and the SNA and City College have since come to an agreement, according to Saucedo.
Although no exact date of completion has been announced, the soccer community is hopeful that the last games of the season can be played on the new field.
No bleachers or audience seating will be built at the new site, but games can be viewed from multiple locations, including the plaza at Batmale Hall, overlooking the football field. The side of the hill leading down from Batmale Hall will also be a prime spot to watch games.
In response to low attendance at City College soccer matches over the past few years, Saucedo added, “Now that we’re on campus, we’re hoping to get a way better turnout to our games.”
Poelele Malepeai (#7) slams a spike past two Chabot defenders on Oct. 29 at the Community Health and Wellness Center. The Rams won four sets against the Chabot Gladiators. ALAN NGUYEN / GUARDSMAN
By Arcel Cunanan
Staff Writer
The Rams volleyball began their drive towards the playoffs with a convincing victory over the Chabot Gladiators in four sets (25-10, 22-25, 25-12, 25-21) on Oct. 29 at the Wellness Center.
“The whole team played great. They all communicated as far as volleyball goes,” said Head Coach Ed Parker. “Everybody stepped up.”
Coming out with great intensity and a lot of communication on the court, The Rams were able to gain a quick seven point lead, forcing the Gladiators to call a time out at 7-0. The Rams won the set on a kill by libero Amanda Ly, closing the up the first set at 25-10.
The Rams began the second set a little lethargic, allowing the Gladiators to maintain the lead. The Rams’ concentration began to diminish as frustrations grew on the court. A time out was called by the Rams when they fell behind 20-13. The Gladiators withstood a furious rally from the Rams and held on to win set two at 22-25.
“I felt like the errors were on our side. We made the mistakes. They really didn’t do anything special. We just had a moment. It fell away from us,” said Associate Coach Aziza Bledsoe.
Down 4-1 early in the third set, the Rams picked up the intensity and were able to finish by dominating in the third set. The Gladiators seemed to start falling apart, as the Rams took the lead for good and went up 19-9. At game point, Chabot set the ball up to their middle back row player, who swung too hard and in the wrong direction, causing the ball to go out of bounds, and allowing the Rams to win set three 25-12.
The third set’s momentum followed the Rams into set four, but the Rams allowed Chabot to once again gain the lead. The fourth set was back and forth throughout, but straightened out at 22-21 when a call was made on a questionable block, resetting the score at 21-21. After the call was made, the reset score gave Chabot the chance to earn a critical point. Even though tension on the court and in the crowd was showing, but that didn’t slow the Rams down.
The Rams got their point back after making an incredible kill that made the crowd go wild. At game point, sophomore Poelele Malepeai made a kill that skidded off the arms of one of the unsuspecting Gladiators. The Rams closed the fourth and final set at 25-21.
“It’s really hard to deal with referees. It didn’t affect us any. We still won the game,” said Bledsoe in response to the call.
After the game, Parker was optimistic about the team’s upcoming matches.
“It’s a great attitude and positive energy to start our second half of the season. Next week we are hoping to continue with the same attitude that we have.”
Looking ahead, the Rams will have three straight road games against De Anza, Foothill, and Monterey, returning for their final home match on Nov. 19 against Skyline College at 6:30 p.m. in the Community Health and Wellness Center.
