Soccer and volleyball heat up

Women's soccer

Record: 5-0-2 (3-0-0 in Metro Athletic Conference)

The Richland College women's soccer team is unbeaten in the 2011 season.  After recording one win and two ties against nationally ranked Division 1 programs, the team has started conference play with a perfect 3-0-0 record.  

"We haven't lost yet, so their confidence is high," said head coach Scott Toups.  "They know they are capable of winning."

Freshman Malin Qvarnstrom has recorded a team-high five goals and eight assists to start the season.  Against Eastfield College on Sept. 16, the Swedish forward recorded two goals and two assists to lead the Thunderducks to an 8-0 victory.

The competition will heat up by the end of September, as the team is scheduled to travel to face Division 1 powerhouse Tyler Junior College (Sept. 25) and conference rival Mountain View College (Sept. 27).

"The teams we have beaten or tied are good, but Tyler is kind of in a league of their own," said Toups.

Toups regards Mountain View, along with North Lake College, as the team's primary competition to win the conference.  The team defeated North Lake Sept. 20 by a score of 3-2.

Men's soccer

Record: 3-2-1

The men's soccer team started the season strong, scoring 14 goals en route to a perfect 3-0-0 record.  But over the past two weeks, the team has had difficulty scoring against elite competition from around the country.  

The team first dropped a 4-0 decision on Sept. 9 to Tyler Junior College, the two-time defending NJCAA Division 1 champions.  After earning a 1-1 tie against Northern Oklahoma College on Sept. 11, the Thunderducks faced off against the two-time defending state champions Mt. San Antonio (CA) on Sept. 16.  The team fell 1-0.

"We play very good soccer, but we are working on putting together a complete game," said head coach Scott Worley. "We played really well in parts of the Tyler game. We dominated play in the Northern Oklahoma game, and we played very competitive and hard in the Mt. San Antonio game.  We just have to learn to put it all together and play a complete game from the first minute to the 90th minute."

The team's next game is scheduled for today, (Sept. 27) at Mountain View College.  If the team aspires to win the MAC and advance to nationals, a road win against Mountain View is an important step.

Women's volleyball

Record: 5-10 (1-0 in MAC)

Now halfway through the 2011 season, the women's volleyball team has stumbled to a 5-10 record.  While the team has faced a challenging schedule, head coach Zelda Smith expects more from this team.

"We have a lot of great talent but we're not playing up to our potential," said Smith.  "It's about being inexperienced, learning to play together and trusting each other."

Competing in the Vernon Tournament at the beginning of the month, freshmen Amber Davis and Taiesha Brown were recognized as all-tournament performers.

Though the overall record is hardly impressive, the team got off to a fast start in conference play on Thursday with a 3-0 victory over Mountain View College.  Conference play will grow more difficult as the Thunderducks must compete with Brookhaven and Eastfield, both of which are top-five teams in the nation.

"They've been working hard, so I am expecting us to be a very competitive team in conference," said Smith.

Cedar Valley College visits Richland on Oct. 3 at 7 p.m. for the conference home-opener.