The Otero Junior College Women’s Soccer team has established a high-level of national recognition in recent years. The 2015 season was another successful year pioneered by first year head coach Sierra Doherty-Cardenas as the Lady Rattlers finished 13-3-2 and ranked 18th in the nation.
The program has reached the NJCAA Region IX Tournament Final four years in a row. They had an impressive 2015 season finishing first in regular season and runners up in the NJCAA Region IX Tournament, just one game shy of returning to the NJCCA National Tournament. The Lady Rattlers are primed and ready for another prosperous season in 2016, with eleven returners and the addition of nineteen new players to the squad.
The Lady Rattlers will begin this season led by a core group of sophomores including the teams four captains: Kayleigh Brough (So., Dundee, Scotland), Caylie Hartman (So., Arvada), Callie Larson (So., Roy, Utah), and freshmen captain Chloe Craig (Glasgow, Scotland). The sophomores along with a very large freshmen class, will be directed by Sierra Doherty-Cardenas in her second year at the helm, along with her newly added Assistant Coach, Jordan White.
Coach Cardenas is very excited about the potential of the team. “Things have come together very well for us in our first few weeks together. I can’t speak highly enough about the work that our sophomores have done to unite the squad and welcome in our new players, as well as showing them the way that we do things in our program,” said Cardenas.
“We strive to reach the highest standards of excellence as students, athletes and people; and these girls have taken this excellence-centered philosophy to heart and are working to make it a reality. We have the foundations in place to build another successful year both on the pitch and in the classroom in 2016-2017,” Cardenas added.
The Lady Rattlers will start their regular season in the Region IX opening weekend against their Region IX rivals from Laramie County Community College on Friday, August 24 at Tiger Stadium at 4 p.m. (Please note the game time on Friday has been switched from 6:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.).
The Lady Rattlers will play another match Saturday, August 25 against Western Nebraska at Tiger Stadium at 6 p.m.
Coach Cardenas is confident about the team’s preparation heading into regular season games. “This has been a great week of training leading into, what might be our biggest home game of the year against LCCC. The girls have been working extremely hard in training, and we have put a lot of pieces to the puzzle in place this week. Coach White and I are excited to see the team put it together this weekend!”
Admission to all OJC Soccer matches is free. The community is invited to come to Tiger Stadium at La Junta High School to cheer on the Rattlers.
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