soccer gets the cleat

The Pierce College women’s soccer team saw their season come to an end against San Diego Miramar College losing 2-1. The Brahmas played well, becoming the first road team to score on the Jets all season.

For the soccer program it was the 14th season in a row that they made the playoffs under the direction of head coach Adolfo Perez. Since the founding of the women’s soccer team in 2001, they have nine conference championships and have had multiple transfers into four-year schools. These players include Erica Vangsness who was a junior college All-American before transferring to USC.

Despite the loss in the first round, the Brahmas are expected to return in full force. With a strong defense that includes Desiree Raygoza and Stephanie Alcazar. Midfielders Claudia Lopez and Marissa Albano will carry the load for what will be a more experienced Pierce squad seeking its first state championship in program history.

Copy by Ethan Hanson

Photos by David Paz

The Pierce College Brahmas gave the Miramar College Jets everything they could handle. On the road against a team that hadn’t allowed a single goal all season, the Brahmas stuck with the Jets for 85 minutes.

After Pierce defender Desiree Raygoza scored on a free kick to tie the game at one goal a piece, the Brahmas defense fizzled after the emotional goal.

On a set piece in the 85th minute, Jets forward Taylor Wolever beat Jenna Koziol to the right goal post to end the Brahmas season in the first round of the playoffs 2-1.

“It was a great game we played,” said head coach Adolfo Perez after the loss. “Physically we played our best and we stuck with them. We just came up short.”

Pierce had to travel 145 miles to San Diego, the farthest any team in the state had to travel for a playoff game. The restlessness showed in the first 10 minutes.

With no ball control to start the game and a misplay by forward Eliza Midkiff, Jets’ Karolina Salazar found the back of the net to give Miramar the early 1-0 advantage.

After the first half, the Brahmas picked up the slack by playing more physical in the second half. The Brahmas drew four yellow cards, but Perez liked the aggression.

“We basically went out there and said ourselves ‘To (sic) with it, let’s just go out and play’,” Perez said. “We played our best game in the second half and even though we lost I could not be more proud as a coach, to go out the way we did.”

Miramar head coach Sean Bowers, who is known for having one of the better defensive teams in the state, credited Pierce with the way they played in the second half.

“Pierce really gave us a run for the money,” Bowers said. “They were the better team in the second half.”

After the goal by Raygoza, Miramar would get back on the attack and get the decisive goal to avoid a potential upset to 12 seeded Pierce.

“It was definitely tough mentally to get scored on since we hadn’t been scored on this year until they got one on us,” said Wolever who was the hero for Miramar after scoring the winning

Brahma linebacker chooses happiness

professional softball.

goal. “We really had to play extra hard, not let ourselves get down. Keep pushing and keep working and that’s what we did.” they placed the items on the steps leading up to their library. them think about donating or doing charitable acts all year-round.

Bowers, who knows all about pressure having played in the MLS for four years with the Kansas City Wizards, watched his team overcome the pressure after Pierce ended Miramar’s home shutout streak.

“We train really really hard,” Bowers said. “And the reason why we train hard is for the 81st and 85th minute. The girls were ready for it.” For the Brahmas, it is the second time in three years that they have been eliminated in the first round after making it to the second round in the 2013 season.

Perez has a lot to be excited about in the future with all of his primary defenders expected to return.

Perez got strong production from forwards Taylor Bailey and Mayra Lopez and consistency from midfielders Marissa Albano and Claudia Perez. All these players will be sophomores for what should be a revamped 2015 Pierce squad.

As for the Jets, they will move on to the second round of the tournament and will play host to 13 seeded Rio Hondo who upset Santa Barbara City College winning 5-4 on PK’s.

“It was kind of a really neat visual of what was brought in, rather than just boxes full of canned food,” Lofrano said.

The Athletic Department successfully filled one full set of bleachers for the second year in a row. The bleachers seat about 700 people and Lofrano estimates that the Pierce staff, students and college community donated around 750-800 food items.

“In Athletics we try to take the lead and do things that are good for the campus, good for publicity for the campus and not that you want to have publicity, you need it and you just feel good about yourself helping out other people.”

For more information visit mendpoverty.org.

From a family full of athletes, this football player decided it was time to make a change in his life to better himself, but his health isn’t the only priority in his life.

Luke Coyle, 20, is a freshman linebacker who transferred from College of the Canyons last spring to play football at Pierce College. Just over a year ago, he weighed around 330 lbs.

“I was at COC and I was playing offensive line and I tore my MCL,”

Coyle said. “I was on the couch eating food and I had my crutches and I literally said out loud, ‘Man I’m tired of being fat.’ I went on a diet the next day and that was 12 months ago.”

He has since lost around 120 lbs. He admits that he’s always been outgoing and funny and he feels more confident now than ever.

“Luke’s one of those people that will go out of his way to do something for somebody,” said long snapper Blake Word. “Or go out of his way to put a smile on your face, make a joke or something.”

Coyle’s friends and family have been there to support him through it all. Two of his close friends are his Brahma teammates Word and tight end Trey Dunkelberger.

“I got to meet his dad, he was a nice guy, funny and was cracking jokes,” Dunkelberger said. “We talked about football and he didn’t bring up his situation.”

The Coyle’s are an active family. Luke’s brother plays professional baseball and his sister plays

“We’re a very competitive family,” Coyle said. “My siblings are definitely very competitive about the whole weight loss thing and about me getting in shape.”

But about two years ago, Coyle’s father’s health took a turn for the worse. His father was diagnosed with cardiomyopathy when he was 33 years old and since has been in a constant uphill battle.

“His heart has gotten worse over the years,” Coyle said. “He did the whole pacemaker process and he’s had a lot of pacemakers. Then my senior year of high school he got really sick in two months.”

Throughout Coyle’s senior football season, he could tell his father’s health was worsening. Right after his football season ended, Coyle’s father didn’t feel well and called Luke to take him to the hospital.

“When we got him to the hospital they said, ‘thank goodness you got him here because his heart was failing,’ it was literally shutting down and he would’ve died,” Coyle said. “So from then on he was in the hospital for I think four to five months. They took his heart out and put a complete artificial heart in.”

Fast forward two years and Coyle’s father is said to be one of the best artificial heart patients his doctor’s have ever had in the United States for this specific device.

“He doesn’t want his illness to affect my decisions and that’s why he wants to get a heart so soon,” Coyle said. “He’s so motivated to get a heart. He’s just so motivated to live.”

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For the second year in a row, the Athletic Department hosted a food drive to support the charity M.E.N.D., Meet Each Need with Dignity.

The food drive was held a week before Thanksgiving on Thursday, Nov. 20 in the South Gym at Pierce College.

Athletic Director Bob Lofrano came up with the idea to place the donated items on the bleachers after seeing something similar on the Northridge website where

“People need food, that’s the bottom line and at least we helped out in that way,” Lofrano said. “It shouldn’t be just at the holiday season, it could be in June. People need to eat.”

Lofrano said the food drive also set a good example for the younger people on campus. For those who participated, he hopes it makes