**Playoff Game: Tuesday, November 25, 2008 @ 2 PM
BP Boxer Stadium - Come out and root for your CCSF Men's Soccer Team**

Rams win second straight conference title
The Guardsman, Graham Henderson, November 20, 2008.

With a hard-fought 3-2 win over the West Valley College Vikings at Boxer Stadium, the City College Rams men’s soccer team won the Coast Conference championship for a second year in a row to and finished the season with a near perfect 18-1-3 record.

“You know, we didn’t give up, everyone had hard work, we were down, then we were up, then we’re down, then we’re up,” Rams Midfielder Shea Whelan said. “We didn’t give up and we just went all the way.”

Vikings’ sophomore defender Swap Mushiano drew first blood against the Rams. Following a Vikings’ corner kick, a miscommunication between Rams’ goalkeeper Rene Martinez and his defenders allowed Mushiano to take advantage and find the goal to put the Vikings up 1-0.

“That was a miscommunication,” Martinez said. “That was on me, and same on the second [goal], it should have been my ball.”

After the goal, the Rams midfield created scoring opportunities, but the team was initially unable to capitalize. The Rams sent in several shots, but the first trickled just wide of the Vikings’ goal. The team followed up with a hard shot that was on target, but Vikings goalkeeper Edgar Campos was able to make the save.

As Rams sophomore midfielder Alejandro Uribe charged towards the Vikings’ goal, he was tripped up inside the box by Vikings freshmen defender Moises Escalera. Escalera avoided receiving a red card for a last-man foul, but was given a yellow card instead.

Uribe was awarded a penalty kick. He scored on the penalty, blasting the shot off the post to tie the game at one goal apiece.

“When I took the PK I moved to my right side, so the goalkeeper can think I’m going to take it to my left side. In my mind I said, ‘I’m gonna make it, I’m gonna make it, I’m gonna make it,’” Uribe said.

The teams remained evenly matched for the remainder of the first half, but the game stayed physical. Both teams drew multiple fouls as the game was getting more tense.

“I think if we play a team like that [in the playoffs], I think we’re going to have to go back to the drawing board a little more and be a little tougher on the ball,” said Men’s Soccer Head Coach Adam Lucarelli. “We definitely made some mistakes and there’s definitely things we need to work on for the playoffs.”

In the second half, Uribe, who had scored off a penalty shot earlier, was reprimanded by the referee for going down too easily just outside the Vikings’ box. Nevertheless, he was given a free kick for his efforts, which was headed just wide of the net.

The miss did not slow Uribe down. He was able to find enough of a hole to drop the ball back to sophomore forward Wilson Jimenez, who blasted a picture perfect shot into the net from just outside the box to put the Rams up 2-1.

As Lucarelli began to sub-in fresh players, the Rams’ defense started to falter under increased pressure from a determined Vikings’ offense. Rams midfielder Shea Whelan was finally given a yellow card for his efforts.

With several impressive diving saves, the Rams’ Martinez was able to hold the Vikings at bay, but the onslaught eventually proved to be too much. The Vikings’ Escalera made up for his earlier foul by again taking advantage of confusion in the Rams’ defense after a corner kick, drawing the Vikings even at 2-2.

With less than 10 minutes to go and the conference championship on the line, Lucarelli wasted no time in bringing his starting players back into the game. As the clock ticked down, the game became frantic. Whelan missed a pass to a wide open Jimenez, but the Rams did not slow down. Rams’ sophomore forward Samet Yilmez nearly scoring with an epic bicycle kick that drew a hopeful gasp from the crowd, but bounced up and off the crossbar.

Not discouraged by his miss, Yilmez stayed with it and won the Rams both the game and the conference championship with a perfect shot in the 90th minute.

Even with the conference championship under their belts, the Rams were already looking towards the playoffs.

“It’s nice to go back to back. Last year we won it, this year we won it,” Lucarelli said. “To have played 22 games and have one loss so far is a great situation for us, but now it’s a new season. And always, our ultimate goal this year to win the state championship.”

West Valley is a team the Rams could eventually play in the playoffs. Having a game this tense was just fine for Coach Lucarelli.

“I think it was a good game for us before the playoffs, just to be battle-tested against a really good team,” Lucarelli said. “I think we made it a little hard on ourselves, but we’re happy with the win, happy with the championship.”

The Rams will have 10 days off before their journey continues and though they are happy to win the conference for the second time in a row, their motto is the same as it was at the start of the season: State or Bust.

“We have been working hard for this, but like Coach [Lucarelli] said, the real season starts right now, during the playoffs,” Uribe said. “We have a week to rest. We’ve been working for this.”

*Congratulations to the Men's Soccer Team*
2008 Coast Conference Champions
November 21, 2008

Rams control game and Canada, to record shutout
The Guardsman, Graham Henderson, November 5, 2008.

The City College Rams men’s soccer team continued their successful season with a 3-0 win at home over the Cañada College Colts on Oct. 28. The Rams improved their record to 14-1-2.

“I thought we played pretty good today, especially in the first half,” Head Coach Adam Lucarelli said. “I wanted us to come out and really attack hard today, and we were able to do that.”

Allen LaSpina got the Rams’ offense started with a goal after receiving a perfectly placed pass from sophomore forward Wilson Jimenez.

Despite solid play from the Colts, the Rams were controlled the pace of the game. Ram’s sophomore defender Jose Navarrete took advantage of the corner kick after Colt’s keeper Tony Reinosa was unable find the ball, allowing Navarrete to power it through for the Rams’ second goal.

Despite a two point cushion, the Rams continued to play with passion. Even though the Colts were able to hang on, the Rams’ offense was simply too strong.

2007 Defenseman of the Year Shea Whelan created a scoring opportunity for the Rams after the Colts’ keeper Reinosa was unable to control Whelan’s header. This allowed midfielder Esteban Uribe to head the rebound in for the Rams third and final goal.

“[Whelan] headed the ball and it bounced off another player, and I was in front of the net,” Uribe said after the game.

The frustration of the Colts started to show at the start of the second half and the game became increasingly physical. Both teams ultimately received two yellow cards each.

Even though the Colts offense came on stronger during the second half, the Rams remained unfazed and kept the Colts off the scoreboard.

“When a team’s down three to nothing, it’s hard for them not pick it up and attack more, and they’re gonna send more balls in, but we were able to control the tempo of the game,” Lucarelli said.