TC soccer

Taft College soccer players salute their fans after a win.

Repeating its pattern as a playoff contender for over two decades, Taft College Men’s Soccer beat high-scoring Hartnell 2-1 on November 26 to reach the final four semifinal

at American River College in Sacramento.

When the final whistle blew in the semifinal today, the Cougars fell to reigning champion Mt. San Antonio College 1-0. Under Head Coach Angelo Cutrona, Taft College ended its phenomenal season as Central Valley Conference Champions with a 16-4-3 overall record.

Taft College men’s soccer relied on its defense and sophomore-heavy lineup by giving more than 20 starts to goalkeeper Jaime Tiscareno (Garces), the state leader in goals against average, midfielders Steven Fuentes (La Puente), Brian Trujillo (Palmdale), and Gabriel Soto (Arvin), and forward Aldo Pantoja (Garces). The biggest scoring threat had been freshman Omar Marquez (Chavez) with nine goals and five assists. The 2018-19 BVarsity All-Area Player of the Year, sophomore Ebubechukwu Ekpemogu (Garces) played just 15 games and tallied five goals and six assists. Nine additional players scored more than two goals on the year. Angel Navarro (Ridgeview) and Alexander Castrejon (Liberty) lifted the Cougars in the regional final win over Hartnell.

 Taft College Interim Superintendent/President B rock McMurray commended the 2022 soccer players and coaches.

“We congratulate our men’s soccer Tteam, Head Coach Angelo Cutrona, and our Assistant Coaches for a job well done this tough season," McMurray said. "These Cougar athletes are well on their way to further greatness. You’ve done Taft College proud today.”