On a Tuesday afternoon in May most would figure that most students would be either going home to do homework, hang out with friends after school, or getting ready for the finals in their classes. The Chabot Gladiator’s Women’s Soccer Team, on the other hand, are instead prepping for the beginning for their season, which doesn’t come until the fall semester.
Chabot Women’s Soccer hopes to improve from their record from the previous season, where they believe they can make it to the postseaso

n and make a run for the State Championships. Apart from making it to the postseason, Chabot also hopes to prove that they can finish games with wins instead of ties; where they had five from the previous season.
“We expect to do well,” said Chabot’s sophomore defender Tatiana Arteaga. “We want to score a lot of goals. We also want to have a lot of girls out here and have a good team.”

Chabot right defender, Samantha Shell, had the same anticipation for next season as she feels that the team can do very well. The Kinesiology major said, “We hope to make it to the playoffs and doing well in our season. Our expectations are to win all of our games and to come up with fewer ties.”

Chabot finished the 2012 season with an 8-6-5 (6-5-2) record last season which placed them in fourth place last season and they feel that they can definitely improve upon that; especially when they finished behind schools by the likes of San Francisco City College, Ohlone and Los Positas in that order.
With the 2013 season rapidly approaching the Women’s Soccer Team they will continue to practice throughout the summer in their hopes to become the champions of the Coast

Last week the Chabot women’s soccer team defeated the Skyline Trojans by a final score of 3-0, bringing the Lady Glads’ overall record to 5-3-3. Continue Reading

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The Chabot men’s soccer team lost a close game at home against West Valley’s Vikings last Tuesday.

The West Valley Vikings attacked constantly and managed to score a late goal, giving them a 1-0 victory over Chabot.

The Gladiators came into the game after a 2-0 loss to Joe Silveira coached Evergreen Valley College. Leading the Vikings is head coach Gasper Silveira, brother of Joe.

West Valley dominated the possession game 10 minutes in, as they passed the ball freely and looked for holes on Chabot’s side of the field.

A shot by Vikings forward Juan Carlos Leal forced Gladiator’s goalkeeper Alejandro Gonzales to step up and punch the ball out, giving the Vikings their first corner kick of the game. The cross from the corner amounted to nothing, keeping both teams scoreless.

The Gladiators first strike came at the 30th minute, when forward Jose Coria’s free kick just outside the box went by West Valley’s defensive wall and almost went in. Viking goalkeeper Matt Grosey’s dive not only kept the ball out, but it also denied the Gladiators from scoring.

Both teams were scoreless going into the half.

Chabot came out in the second half ready to play, as a shot by midfielder Carlos Gonzales went over the bar as Viking’s goalkeeper, Grosey, came out forcing an early shot.

West Valley, however, dominated the second half.

In the 75th minute, a goal by Viking Wilmar Bautista gave West Valley a 1-0 lead, as the forward kicked the ball in after getting past Gladiator Erich Thiemann.

West Valley scored twice but were called offsides on both occasions.

The final score was 1-0, West Valley.

“It’s not fixing, it’s the attitude, the approach to the game,” replied head coach Tony Igwe, when asked about what needs to be fixed for the next game, adding “You can not be a lone ranger. One player wants to beat everybody and you can not do that.”

Gladiator forward Jose Coria added to what his coach said by stating. “We should have won this one. We should have came out with a lot more touch, we just have to work at practice.”

The Gladiator’s next home game is Tuesday, Oct. 25, against Monterey.

The Chabot men’s soccer team dropped their first game of the season last Friday, losing 2-0 to a very tough Feather River team.
The Golden Eagles began the game with an extremely polished style of play, as creative and well placed passes would allow Feather River to take shots on goal seemingly at will. Chabot’s goaltender, Ricardo Bustos, would make several impressive saves during the first 17 minutes successfully keeping the game scoreless.

Chabot’s luck would run out though, as a cross from Feather River’s Jose Viveros would find Makenzie Lukas who scored an 18th minute goal on a header giving the Golden Eagles an early 1-0 lead.

With the Gladiators on the ropes, Feather River wouldn’t wait long to give Chabot another scare as Augusto Bunge would have a point blank shot at an open goal in the 24th minute just to kick it too high over the net.

Shortly after, Chabot would clamp down defensively in the midfield successfully neutralizing Feather Rivers’ attack. For the rest of the half the Gladiators would be on the offensive putting together several scoring opportunities of their own.

The Gladiators closest shot at equalizing before the end of the half came on a Jose Coria through pass to Alfredo Navarro who would find himself one on one with Feather River goalie Tony Wakeford. The shot though would ring on the wrong side of the post before bouncing out of bounds, effectively ending the threat. Chabot would go into halftime still trailing by 1.

Coming out of the half, the Gladiators looked to have found their presence on the pitch aggressively taking the fight to the Golden Eagles. The play of Chabot’s midfielders found some chinks in the armor of Feather River allowing the Gladiators to get some really good looks at goal.

Unfortunately, the Gladiators seem to wait a little too long to make their move in most instances, electing to pass the ball instead of shooting it.

As the game drew deeper into the 2nd half, it became apparent that the games second goal would go farther in determining a victor for this contest than the first.

In the 61ST minute, Bunge made up for his botched shot in the first half by making a steal and driving into the box and scoring his first goal of the day. The goal was the final nail in the coffin for Chabot as the game would come to a close with a score of 2-0.

The loss brings the Gladiators to 3-1-1 on the young season as they prepare to play their first road game against Napa College.
Talking to the team after the game it was clear that head coach Tony Igwe’s philosophy on playing soccer with a greater sense of urgency wasn’t lost on his players. “Going on the road, we have to play like were afraid to lose”, said Chabot midfielder Jose Coria. “We can’t be too confident. We have to be on our feet at all times”.

When asked about the lack of shots Chabot took at goal during scoring chances, coach Igwe said “It wasn’t like we weren’t in position. We had the chances, we just didn’t finish. Sometimes you have to let the ball do the work”.

This was an eye opener for Chabot who finds themselves in an unfamiliar position, having to respond after a loss for the first time this season. “I try to tell these young men that if you don’t play soccer, soccer will play you”, coach Igwe said in a post-game interview. “This loss will help them to grow as a team”.

Chabot extended their home win streak to two games after beating the Eagles of Feather River College last Friday.

In a hard fought physical game, the Lady Glad’s were victorious 1-0 on a second half goal by defender Julia Ceniceros.

The five-hour road trip seemed to affect Feather River, as Chabot came out active in the opening minutes. The Lady Glad’s controlled the possession game as they continuously rushed the Eagles in hopes of an early goal.

Passes to Chabot’s forward Deandre Britton were cut off by Feather River’ s midfielder Samantha Green, as she played tight defense most of the game on the striker.

“We tried to spread out,” answered Britton when asked about the strategy to open up the Eagles defense. “ Do a lot of ball touching and passing.”

With four minutes left in the half, the Eagles had an impressive break away started by forward Graciela Pedroza pass to midfielder Keaton Wheeler. Wheeler, sprinting on her own, created the best chance of the half as she had a good look at a goal but missed, as sophomore goalkeeper Marisa Reidy blocked her shot.

Before the first half was over, a hard foul from Chabot inside the box was not called in favor of Feather River. The Eagles, upset, played through it and finished the first half.

The second half started off with the both teams playing with intensity. Slide tackles and man on pressure became more aggressive and physical compared to the first half.

Feather Rivers’ best opportunity of the game came with 20 minutes in the second half. Defender Tatyana Jefferson shot nearly goes in but hits the bar and was covered by Chabot’s Reidy.

Two minutes later the Lady Glad’s would also have their opportunity to score. Forward Britton’s shot bounced off a defender and landed in front of Ceniceros. The freshman defender did not hesitate and quickly shot a ball that hit the top of the goal post and with a lucky bounce found its way in.

The Eagles would try to get back in the game but Chabot’s bend but not break defense would hold.

The final score was 1-0, keeping Chabot undefeated at home.

By Rashaan Mungo

The Chabot Men’s soccer team kicked off on the right foot last week, defeating Contra Costa 4-3 in a tightly contested match to begin the 2011 season. The game began a string of 6 consecutive home games for the Gladiators, who wasted little time finding the back of the net.

Chabot started the game clearly in control as they dominated the time of possession and frustrated Contra Costa’s defenders. The Comets seemed to be one step behind the speed of Chabot’s midfielders leading to a series of costly penalties.

During a Chabot free kick by Jesus Leon, Contra Costa was called for holding in the box. Consequently, giving the Gladiators a penalty kick and putting early pressure on Comets’ goalkeeper Robert Olsen. Freshman midfielder, Jose Coria converted on the penalty kick giving Chabot a 1-0 lead with a 10th minute goal.

The celebration though, was short lived as the Comets came roaring back to score two goals of their own before the end of the half. Adan Martinez made his presence felt scoring twice. Once on a shot from midfield just beyond the out- stretched arms of goaltender Alejandro Gonzalez, and then scoring again on a penalty kick with 9 minutes left to go in the half.

With Chabot down 2-1, Contra Costa had clearly stolen the momentum.

Coming out of the half the Gladiators came out like a team on a mission. Midfielder Alfredo Navarro, who was around most of the action, broke away down the middle of the pitch before scoring his first goal, equalizing the game at 2-2.

From that moment on it was all Chabot. The Gladiators scored two more goals on rebounds

out in front of goal, as Jesus Leon and Jose Luis Perez applied constant pressure on the Comets’ net minder.

With the game getting out of hand, Contra Costa substituted Kevin Suarez for goalkeeper Robert Olsen.

The move would prove to be too little too late, as a last minute surge by the Comets’ would fall ultimately short. An 83rd minute goal by Daniel Patrino for Contra Costa capped off the comeback attempt, making the score 4-3, which would go on to be the final.

Wins like this can go a long way in developing a winning culture for a young team. With 21 players being freshmen, a come from behind win after losing an early lead, is a sign of maturity.

“We started off good, but we made some mistakes and let [Contra Costa] back in the game”, said Alfredo Navarro in a post game interview. “Coach [Tony Igwe] gave us some words at half- time that really helped us play better as a team.

“I told them to play like champions”, said head coach Tony Igwe, “You have to stay focused for a full 90 minutes. We missed some opportunities to score more goals because we didn’t shoot particularly well”.

The Gladiators didn’t take full advantage of all their opportunities, but they arose to the occasion and showed a lot of character finding a way to grind out a win against the visiting Comets.

“I really like this group of players”, said Igwe. “I’m excited to see how this season is going to play out.”

–Notes–

-The last two games between these two teams ended in 0-0 ties. The last time Contra Costa had scored a goal at Chabot was in a 3-2 win in 2005

International student from Cameroon on scholarship impresses all

Lyon College in Arkansas awarded a scholarship to Raoul Noumbissi, a second year forward/midfielder for the Gladiators soccer team.

The math major and former student tutor has been playing soccer since he was five years old. “My dream as a kid is to play professional, but if it doesn’t happen I want to get my masters and maybe teach,” Noumbissi said.

In two years, Noumbissi scored 16 goals for coach Tony Igwe’s soccer squad. His work was rewarded. All-Conference second team in 2009 and All-Conference first team in 2010.

His road to success, however, has not been easy.

A Cameroon native and a graduate from his home country’s high school, Lycee National Leon MBA, Noumbissi found his way to the U.S. as an international student.

Noumbissi lived with his sister, the only relative in this country, in Texas for his first three years. There, the soccer player attended a community college but eventually moved when he decided the south was not the place for him.

Noumbissi then found his way to the Bay Area, via a family friend. Here the soccer player wanted to continue playing and decided to look at local schools.

During his research on community college soccer teams, Noumbissi recognized coach Tony Igwe’s name from his native homeland. He knew about the coach’s soccer past with the national Nigerian team and decided to give Chabot a try.

But with a new experience and excitement at hand, moving twice in three years took a toll on the international student.

“When I met him the first time, it was hard to penetrate him” answered coach Igwe when asked about the first time he met his forward. “ He couldn’t open himself up. I had the same shock when I came to this country”, said Igwe.

Through time, Noumbissi opened up and started getting along with his teammates. He saw coach Igwe as a father figure and became close with teammate Jun Nishioka, an international student from Japan.

At first coach Igwe played Noumbissi at full back and mid field. He then realized the speed burst his future soccer player had and decided to put him at forward.

“I’m good at defending; I can play in the middle” Noumbissi answered proudly, sporting a Xavi F.C. Barcelona T-Shirt. “But forward is pretty much what I like to play,” said Noumbissi.

And at forward is where he has had his success. In a game last November, the number 9 Gladiator had a

similar touch to the ball as a professional player that also wears number 9, Samuel Eto’o, as he tourched Las Positas College with three goals in a 5-1 victory against their sister college.

In December, Noumbissi was invited to attend the 2010 Sophomore Showcase game in Santa Clarita CA. There, Noumbissi played with the North squad as they played versus the South, in a game meant for recruits and coaches to see the top talent.

After the game, recruits from Lyon College were amazed with Noumbissi’s soccer skills and contacted coach Igwe about his forward. Noumbissi traveled to Batesville, Arkansas to visit the campus and was pleased with their academic and sports program.“If I can play on a good team and go to a good school, that’s pretty much what I want to do,” said Noumbissi.

For all those who are interested, intercollegiate sports have open spaces

By Joseph Yates
STaff Writer

At Chabot College in the Spring there are plenty of sports for the avid athlete. Whether you like to play a team sport, or not there is something for you.

No matter what sports team you try out for it will require a lot of hard work. Most of the teams work out a minimum of four days a week, practicing in the morning and the afternoon.

Additionally athletes are held to a high standard to remain active on the team. According to the Chabot College website athletes must maintain a 2.0 G.P.A. and be registered in “12 units of which 9 count toward the associate degree, remediation, transfer and/or certification during your season of participation.”

The spring sports are men’s baseball, woman’s softball, men’s tennis, women’s tennis, men’s and women’s swimming, men’s golf, and men’s and women’s track & field.

There are a lot of athletes that are on a scholarship to play at our college, but some of the athletes who try out for the team are also walk on students.

Some of these walk on students don’t know how to get in contact with the coaches or how the programs are run.

One way to find out more about the sport your interested in is to contact the coach of the team or speak to a counselor.

The head coach of men’s baseball, Steve Friend, has shared some information on the requirements on how to make the team.

“It’s all about your athleticism, your talent, and your intangibilities, meaning do you have any skills, your ability to play the game, and your mental toughness, work ethics, commitment and resiliency.”

Mr. Friend has stated “We actively recruit approximately 20-30 local student athletes each year from district area High Schools and you have to be a pretty good player.”

Hard work is the key to practice making perfect. One way to make the team on any spring sport, is to take a summer class of the sport you’re interested in so the coach can get familiar with you.

For more information on Chabot spring sports contact the appropriate coach below.

Baseball coach: Steve Friend – Phone: (510) 723-6935  E-mail: sfriend@chabotcollege.edu .

Men’s golf coach Zack Papachristos Phone: (510) 723-7481 Email: zpapachristos@chabotcollege.edu .

Women’s softball coach: Chelsea Spencer Email:cspencer@chabotcollege.edu .

Men’s & women’s swimming: head coach: Greg Kubicki, Phone: (510) 723-7433 E-mail: gkubicki@chabotcollege.edu.

Tennis coach: HeadCoach: Rick Morris Phone 510) 723-7259 E-mail: rmorris@chabotcollege.edu .

Track & field coach: contact Ken Grace E-mail:kgrace@chabotcollege.edu or CoachKenGrace@att.net Phone: 510-723-6662.

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The Gladiators and the Seahawks of Cabrillo College met Friday afternoon in the sweltering early fall heat for the first game of Coast Conference league play. The Gladiators (2-4-1), disappointed by a 2-0 defeat, were looking for their first win in three games following a scoreless draw on the road at Contra Costa College and a 1-0 loss at home to West Hills of Lemoore.

The Seahawks (1-7-0), playing their fourth straight game on the road, had yet to score any points in the season but managed their first win following a 3-1 loss to Evergreen Valley last Tuesday, Sept. 21.

Although the Gladiators had a number of opportunities in the first half, with Raoul Noumbissi on target from inside the six yard box with a couple of strong headers, Coach Igwe failed to find a fruitful striking partnership.

This forced Chabot to rely on the defense and goalkeeper Anthony Ahode in particular, who made a fine save on a low shot from Seahawks striker Adrian Silva with 25 minutes to go in the first half.

Nonetheless, Cabrillo was always dangerous on the counterattack and started to exploit cracks in the Gladiator defense as the first half neared its conclusion.

Cabrillo scored the opener seven minutes into the second half as forward Jason Olivo sped past Gladiator defender Erick Chavez on the right wing and found his striking partner Ismael Rios, whose powerful shot was tipped by Ahode into the back of the net.

Chabot came close to equalizing ten minutes later as Noumbissi once again made solid contact but headed wide, and again five minutes later when his shot just went wide of the near post.

However, the Seahawks had just too much team speed on the wings as the Gladiator defense began to tire. Cabrillo midfielder Brian Lopez, who gave the Gladiator defense fits all day, was fouled inside the box in the 67^th minute of play, giving the Seahawks a penalty.

Edgar Bedolla converted from the spot to give Cabrillo a 2-0 lead that was never really threatened for the rest of the game.

Coach Igwe said, “We competed, but I’m having trouble finding goal scorers at the moment,” and that he was going to “try to put different pairs of strikers on the field” until he finds something that works.

Chabot’s next match is lined up against City College of San Francisco on Friday, Oct. 1, with kickoff scheduled for 1 p.m.