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| College Spotlight: Cuyamaca College |
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| By: Amberly Dressler |
Posted: Monday, April 6, 2009 8:05 am
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| XK San Diego catches up with Coach Dan Codina |
Dan Codina’s Cuyamaca College women's soccer team hit it out of the park last year, running away with the league title, a 15-game unbeaten streak in league and team chemistry that can’t be bought.
Cuyamaca is big on playing for each other, and the proof is in the pudding. After just meeting last year, Kristi French (Santana), Nichole Bishop (Mar Vista) and Amber Webb (West Hills) all turned down other offers to play apart to each accept partial athletic and academic scholarships in the fall for Ottawa University in Kanasas. The traveling trio are a huge compliment to Codina, whose program brought the players from different high schools together as teammates.
Offensive juggernaut Ashley Holton (Christian) will take the road less traveled to Abilene Christian University in Texas, where she accepted a full-ride scholarship, after turning down a few options to stay locally.
XK San Diego catches up with the coach behind the success to discuss his team's cohesiveness, what he looks for in recruits and what players and parents need to know about Cuyamaca's program .
What is the team up to now?
We have futsal class (at Cuyamaca), which is indoor Brazillian soccer. It’s a very fast paced game. The class is mainly last year’s players and they are playing with the guys as well. I think that it will speed up our game because we have to work a little harder.
They will get on the field the second week of June, for a summer class.
What were you most impressed by last season?
They adjusted to a few adversities that we had to face, but we’ve been able to have the program set up to where the team works very hard at practice and in games for each other. We never have to deal with the drama of high schools or anything like that.
What were some of the team's bonding experiences off the field?
We took a trip to San Francisco, so we spent a lot of time together off the field. We try to do some kind of trip every year. We wanted to face the two top teams up in the north.
What did you learn about the team during those games?
Pretty much we learned that we were almost where we needed to be. We had a very good game against American River College and we played De Anza College the next day, but we probably should have put a day between those games. We were pretty beat up from the American River game.
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| Ashley Holton embodies Cuyamaca's attacking style. |
What’s the commitment level like for the team?
During the season we are training every day. They get the weekends off, but the commitment is definitely there. We are just lucky to establish that right from the start.
The commitment is also there for each other. We pretty much tell them right off the bat that the high school and club drama [because they all know each other] needs to be put away. We get them to understand that if we have to deal with this player is better or this or that, than it gets in our way. We need every single player on the team to work as hard as possible for themselves and each other.
What are your goals for next season?
We know that we ended the season a little bit sooner than we would have liked, so our big thing is winning league again this year and then making it to the state finals. We were seeded No. 4 out of 16 or 18
Are there any recruits you are really excited about?
This is one of our better recruiting years. The problem is nobody is locked in because we don’t sign players. To say we are guaranteed to get this player, then any other coach could go grab her. When they step on the field on August 15, then they are ours.
What do you look for in an incoming player?
We are a very attacking team, so I like a player who is willing to take a player on rather than pass the ball and make her teammate win the game. I like confident players who can do their job to help us win. You can see that in watching a player if they pass the ball when the pressure is on.
What should players know about Cuyamaca’s program?
Just that we don’t look for the easy way of getting there. We take on the top teams. We never play the easy games to help us get a win. It’s respectable to beat the top teams.
What should parents know about community college programs?
Pretty much we give players another option. Especially right now, a lot of families can’t send their kids to a four-year. We save them a lot of money and still help them play at a high level and get seen. When they are done with us, they have the option to go somewhere else if that’s what they want to do.
What steps does Cuyamaca do to help players transfer?
Pretty much when the player gets in, we get an idea of what they are looking for or where they want to go and what they want to study and we help them find the right fit. They do their work in the classroom. Luckily I have a good connection with college coaches from my Cal South and club coaching reputation that if players can play at the level a school requires, we can get the coaches to come watch them.
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| Cuyamaca College |
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Tags: Abilene Christian University, Amber Webb, American River College, ARC, Ashley Holton, Cal South, Christian, Cuyamaca College, Dan Codina, De Anza College, Kristi French, Mar Vista, Nichole Bishop, Ottawa University, Santana, West Hills
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