Conference change overhaul e move to a lower division raises concerns for competition

Moorpark, Ventura, Santa Barbara and Cuesta College, who all usually play well.

The Pierce College women’s soccer team is facing several changes as it switches from the Western State North Conference to the Western State Central Conference. The switch will lead to shorter drive times for players, as it matches the Brahmas with teams that fall within a closer radius to Pierce College on the map.

Though players and parents will benefit from a shorter commute to games, women’s soccer coach Adolfo Perez has some concerns about how the change will affect the soccer team’s standing.

“It’s actually going to affect us in a negative way because our [former] conference was very strong,” Perez said.

Though Pierce is located in Southern California, in the past the Brahmas were paired with occurred because the Western State Conference, which the Brahmas were a part of, keeps growing and the Foothill Conference, which included College of the Desert in Palm Springs and Barstow, was disbanded. the parents who want to go watch their kids play so they’re not going to Timbuktu,” Lofrano said. “Now we’re more centrally located.”

“In our sport, it’s about power points, which means the better your opponents play, or the better you do against them, the more points you get,” Perez said.

In order to make playoffs the Brahmas must win the conference.

With ten conference championships already under their belt, the Brahmas are the only women’s soccer team in the state to make playoffs every single year.

“Sixteen teams make it out of 62. So by being in the other conference the last couple of years, we were able to get more points because we played Moorpark, Ventura and Santa Barbara who all do well,” Perez said.

Now Pierce is in a conference with weaker teams which could potentially hurt it’s chances of making playoffs.

“It’s a weaker division, which is not a good thing. You would think as the coach I’d be happy about it, but I like competition,” Perez said.

There are only eight planned conference games, so the soccer coaches have scheduled very tough non-conference games against other schools in an attempt to make up for it.

“It was a long haul for those kids to drive just to go to a game,” Lofrano said.

After the Foothill conference was disbanded, all of those members needed to be moved to one of the other conferences throughout Southern California. There were originally six conferences, but since the removal of the Foothill conference there are now five.

According to Lofrano, the Western State Central Conference now consists of 17 teams, making it the largest in the state of California.

Along with the women’s soccer team, Pierce’s baseball team was also formerly in the same division as Cuesta, located in San Luis Obispo, which is approximately 166 miles away.

“It makes it like an eight to eight day. Leave at eight and get home at eight just to play one baseball game,” Lofrano said.

Women’s soccer team captain Makayla Nichols said she isn’t sure how the switch will affect the team’s standing but looks forward to closer games.

“It’s not going to be as far of a drive. Whether it’s preseason or regular season, we’re not traveling as far,” Nichols said.

Schedule

Sept. 14 to 21

Water Polo

Wednesday, Sept. 21 vs. Ventura 3:30 p.m.

Soccer

Tuesday, Sept. 20 vs. Clovis 3 p.m.

Football

According to Pierce Athletic Director Bob Lofrano, the switch

Women’s soccer was not the only sport to be affected by the switch. Pierce’s baseball, football, and women’s volleyball teams are all benefiting from the change, experiencing shorter traveling distances to games.

“I think it’s better. It’s better for

Despite the concerns the conference switch has brought about, the Brahmas are off to a good start going 3-0 thus far.

The next game will be at Citrus on Sept. 13 against Citrus at 6 p.m.

The physical embodiment of the beautiful game Player comes to Pierce to continue her family’s legacy

MOHAMMAD DJAUHARI Reporter mdjauhari.roundupnews@gmail.com

A transformation happens on the field surrounding the Village at Pierce College. What is largely unused during the day, becomes filled with children playing soccer in the afternoon, hoping to be the next Abby Wambach or Lionel Messi. It is on this field that a young Leslie Ramirez started her soccer journey.

Ramirez, 21, began playing the sport at the age of 8 for the Giants, a youth team that played on the field at Pierce.

“My first girl’s team was here at Pierce,” Ramirez said. “We were called the Giants and in my first game, I just killed it.”

Introduced to soccer by her father, who also played the sport, Ramirez returns to the very place it all started after attending and playing for Cal. State Northridge.

“I feel like I have a lot to prove,” Ramirez said. “Especially being new, transferring from CSUN, it makes me work harder to prove myself.”

Ramirez comes from a long line of soccer players. She has two sisters, Betty and Alex, that also played for the team at Pierce which was coached by Adolfo Perez.

“Ever since I was little I would always watch them play and they would always make me want to be better,” Ramirez said. “I was the baby of the family so I felt like I had to hold that standard. Carrying that last name and having Adolfo coaching all three of us, I wanted to be better and work that much harder for my family, for Adolfo and for the team.”

The determination and passion that drives Ramirez translates to her play on the pitch as well as her standing with her teammates.

“Her expectations are so high,” Perez said. “In soccer, the hardest thing to do is score goals, which she does best. She scores with finesse and a hard shot. She’s a born leader.”

“When she first started to play, all I can remember is watching her do cartwheels,” said Betty Ramirez, Leslie’s sister who played soccer for Pierce in 2008 to 2010. “But at age 7, I just saw this amazing turnaround. She was great with the ball, she was always scoring and had a smile on her face.”

Although Ramirez experienced success through her years playing, it wasn’t always fun and games for her.

“I started off playing with a boys team when I was a kid. I was the only girl on the team and they absolutely would not pass me the ball,” Ramirez said. “They refused to. They just thought girls can’t play soccer and when I noticed they didn’t pass me the ball, it made me so mad. I’m part of the team. Pass me the ball. Let me play with you guys.”

Discrimination in women’s soccer is nothing new. Disparity in wages between professional men’s and women’s soccer has been documented and the top 5 women’s soccer players have filed a lawsuit against U.S. Soccer, the national governing body for the sport, for wage discrimination, according to a New York Times article earlier this year.

Though there may be discrimination between men’s and women’s soccer, stars like Mia Hamm, Alex Morgan and Abby