The Lady Lancers will open their season on Monday, November 17 at Del Campo, with the game scheduled for 7:00 p.m. Photo by Rick Sloan

RANCHO CORDOVA, CA (MPG) - After a tough first season under head coach Charlie Gonzalez a season ago, the Cordova Lady Lancers are eager to see their young team gain more invaluable experience this winter. 

Last year, the Lady Lancers dealt with a ton of changes, including being led by a new head coach and being relocated into the latest version of the Metro League. Add an infusion of inexperienced young players, and it made for a rough season.

Cordova finished 3-14 overall, including a 1-9 mark in league play. But with a full year in the books under the coaching of Gonzalez and a ton of promising young talent, the program is excited to get going. 

"I'm optimistic. We're pretty excited," Gonzalez said. "We've got a lot of young players. More than half of our team are underclassmen," he added. 

Last year, the Lady Lancers dealt with a ton of changes, including being led by a new head coach and being relocated into the latest version of the Metro League. Add an infusion of inexperienced young players, and it made for a rough season. Photo by Rick Sloan

Three freshmen in particular have impressed Gonzalez early on as the team prepares for the season in goalkeeper Riley Teasley, midfielder Sana Akbari, and defender Selei Misa. But looking at the rest of the roster and returning players, two figure to make a direct impact on wins and losses this year.

Senior goalkeeper Alanna Thomas, who led the Metro League in saves last season with 46, is a player Gonzalez said the team will be relying on in a big way. With Thomas being crucial in preventing goals being scored against them, it will be junior midfielder Makayla Pena who figures to lead the group on the offensive end of the pitch. Last season, Pena led the team in points (14) and goals (7). Gonzalez has big expectations of Pena as she enters her third season on varsity. 

"I expect her to be more of a leader," Gonzales said. "She's already been tremendous since we've started practice. She's been a big help with the younger girls, giving everybody advice. We expect more of that leadership role from her to help us build the program."

Looking at the whole picture, Gonzalez knows his team is young and needs all the experience they can get. His main goals for this season aren't centered around wins and losses.

Last year, the Lady Lancers dealt with a ton of changes, including being led by a new head coach and being relocated into the latest version of the Metro League. Add an infusion of inexperienced young players, and it made for a rough season. Photo by Rick Sloan

"We just want to create a good environment and have some positive results," he said. "Last year we had a pretty rough year. We were a young team and I'm hoping we can improve from that."

Looking at the whole picture, Gonzalez knows his team is young and needs all the experience they can get. His main goals for this season aren't centered around wins and losses. Photo by Rick Sloan

The Lady Lancers will open their season on Monday, November 17 at Del Campo, with the game scheduled for 7:00 p.m.