Men’s Soccer Update 2018: Unmet Expectations

Conference championships are the expectation for the men’s soccer team.

Though last season was the exception as the men’s team let the conference championship slip through their fingers after a late season loss to Cuyamaca College, Head Coach Cem Tont’s confidence has not wavered.

“Other teams have gone up and down and there are big jumps every year,” he said. “We have been consistent in our standards and level of play. No question we will play for a conference championship.”

Those expectations may be unmet once again, as the men’s team has struggled as they have started the season 4-11-1, 4-5-1 currently placing them fourth in the Pacific Coast Athletic Conference.

Their place in the standings gives them an uphill climb to catch the top two teams San Bernardino Valley College 6-6-3, 6-0-3 and College of the Desert 7-2-5, 5-0-5.

To have a chance to win their conference they will need to finish the season strong, along with outside help from SBVC and COD’s opponents. Although they are a longshot to win their conference, Tont hopes lessons from last year can apply down the stretch as the Jaguars look to climb out of the hole they have fallen in to.

“Last year I gave them too much confidence at the beginning, and then once we became a dominant team in the league,” he said. “Then we got too confident and it was a letdown at the end. I do not want to see them taking anything for granted, every game, every minute counts.”