Head coach Todd Curran has been successfully leading the San Diego Mesa women’s soccer program for two decades.
Curran has been named coach of the year on six occasions, captured ten PCAC championships, and last season earned his 300th career victory win. With so many goals reached, one continues to elude the program under his watch, the state title.
In 2008, the program came close to the title reaching the final four at the state championships. Fast forward to this years campaign, Curran believes there’s something special brewing.
The Olympians are currently 13-1 and 9-0 in the conference. They have won 13 straight games and have outscored their opponents in the month of October 30-2. “This team is probably one of the most balanced teams that I have ever had,” states Curran. “The 2008 final four team was very similar, although I think this squad has better IQ and overall talent. This team also has a deeper bench and our depth is a great asset. We have players that can come off the bench and there is no drop off in play. Everyone knows their role and that itself makes this team much stronger.”
Two reasons for the success has been the play of the back line and the goalkeepers. Both Mesa goalkeepers, Alyssa Warner and Sarah Young are ranked #1 and #2 in the PCAC on goals against.
Another factor for the teams great play has been the leadership of team captains Nikki Miranda and Alex Salzwedel. Both Miranda and Salzwedel have been leading by example and have formed a unit that’s cohesive and determined. They have the ability to attack with pace and defend with power. With seven conference games remaining, the team is focused on capturing their sixth title in seven years.
Currently, the team is ranked #5 in the state and #7 in the nation. Although these rankings are important, and the team takes pride in them, the national title is the end goal.
“We are starting to get healthy at the right time,” explains Curran. “There is an understanding of how we want to attack and defend. Even more important, we know what we need to do in order to continue our success. As long as we play to what were capable of, we’ll be fine. We have a resilient team and it will be exciting to see where we end up at the end of the season.
After today’s away game against Cuyamaca College, the team will play five of their last six games at home. Three of those games will be against quality opponents such as as MiraCosta College, Grossmont College, and Southwestern College. Playing against these teams will benefit the Olympians leading into the playoffs.