A remarkable 2008 season has come to a close for the women’s soccer team. Mesa made a historic run through the playoffs and advanced to the State Final Four, an accomplishment that no San Diego County community college women’s soccer program has ever achieved.

Head coach Todd Curran united a squad dominated by freshmen and sent his 10th team to the playoffs, despite losing his three leading goal scorers from last season. The Lady Olympians found their stride late in the season and refused to lose in their last six conference games, securing themselves a spot as the No. 7 seed.

Mesa competed in its first State Final Four game in school history on Dec. 5 at College of the Canyons in Santa Clarita. Their opponent, Santa Rosa, put the pressure on early with a goal in the first three minutes of play. The Olympians had opportunities to score but were unable to put points up before Santa Rosa closed them out with a goal at the 57:00 mark.

“We shut them down in parts of the field,” said freshman goalkeeper Tiffany Apple. “They capitalized on our mistakes and we didn’t capitalize on theirs.”

Their impressive playoff run began at home against No. 10 seed Santa Barbara College. The teams found themselves at a stalemate after regulation and headed into overtime scoreless. Sophomore Jessica Hernandez broke the scoring drought when she scored a goal in front of the net to give Mesa a 1-0 victory over a tough Santa Barbara team. Hernandez was a key on offense, producing seven goals and five assists for the season.

The Olympians then set their sights on No. 2 seed Ventura College. Even the rain could not put out the red hot Olympians as they shut out the Pirates, 2-0.

“It was pouring rain the entire time,” explained sophomore captain Emily Jenkins. “I think it got everybody excited to just keep going.”

The first goal came in just the fifth minute when Chelsea Gentry put one into the back of the net off assists from Jenkins and freshman Yasmina Taketa. Taketa earned her second assist in the game when she found Sola Esparza, who put the nail in the coffin.

“Every second counts in the playoffs, I loved it,” said Taketa. “The playoffs really showed who you were as a player.” The Hawaii native was a force to be reckoned with on offense, leading the team with 11 goals and eight assists this season.

The Olympians met No. 6 seed Santiago Canyon in the regional finals on Nov. 29. Last season, Mesa ended their playoff run in the regional finals. The team struggled early as they trailed 1-0 going into the second half.

“We were back to our old ways of playing in the first half and I didn’t think we could change in the second half,” said Curran. “But I think they drew upon their playoff experiences against Ventura and Santa Barbara. They played so much better in the second half.”

Hernandez struck again with her second playoff goal as she sent the ball under the cross bar and into the net off a 40-yard free kick, to tie the game 1-1.

Goalkeeper Apple was nothing short of phenomenal when the team needed her in a dramatic penalty kick shootout. Apple slammed the door on two kickers before captain Samantha Mellinger finally put Ventura to rest and advanced her team to their first Final Four.

” [Apple] has a sixth sense,” explained Curran. “It’s her instincts, she is very good at reading the play and where it’s going.” Apple tallied up 16 shutouts this season, including two in the playoffs.

Although they were unable to walk away with the win, the 2008 Lady Olympians have already cemented their spot in history. Their season started out rocky as new players struggled to get accustomed to each other, but things changed quickly as the team got to know each other on and off the field.

“This team is so cohesive, there are no attitudes,” said Curran. “They are very close. They understand the importance of each other.”

Curran and his coaching staff have worked hard from the start to bring the team together. Earlier in the season, Curran took his team to watch a top-ranked Stanford soccer team compete. The experience triggered something in the players as they began to play as a single unit, motivated to play their best soccer.

“Even though it was a loss, it still meant a lot to everyone, especially our coach,” explained Apple. “I think everybody on the team put their heart into it, and that’s what every team needs.”

The Olympians have knocked on the door of a State championship and things can only get better as they prepare to usher in a new class of talent next season.

“It is going to put us on the map as one of the premier programs in the state of California now, not just San Diego County,” added Curran.