Season Preview: Women's Soccer
by Stephen Morales
Since they last played a game, East Los Angeles College's Women's Soccer team has certainly gone through its share of changes.
Longtime former head coach Tessa Troglia moved on after a successful 12-year tenure last spring. And after a wide search, Jessica Correll was hired to follow in Troglia's footsteps. Coach Correll takes over after a detailed and successful run of building and running a bevy of youth and young-adult soccer programs throughout Southern California for the past ten years. And she is indeed ready for her new role.
"I am excited to take on a new personal challenge in my career but am most looking forward to being able to help this upcoming group of female soccer players," claims Correll. "My goal is to provide an environment that encourages their growth and allows them to strive for goals both on and off the field that they may have never thought were possible. I am also excited about growing the program and pushing it to its full potential, while building on the foundation that is already in place."
Correll is a former Husky: she played for Troglia back in 2016 before a torn ACL cut her season short. Now, the Ramona Convent grad is excited to call ELAC "home" again and is ready to lead and grow the program. "Coming back to ELAC has brought me full circle and will allow me to give back to a new group of female athletes," Correll reflects. "I understand the competitive nature of the area, and am prepared to recruit, develop, and grow a winning program with strong players at the college level."
As the team prepares to open the season, Correll acknowledges the many challenges she will face but is ready to go.
"It's going to be a tough season this year," she says. "Considering the fact that I was hired late into the summer, we have not had as much time to prepare as most other programs. We are basically starting from scratch, with no returning players. That being said, I have a solid group of women who are committed and extremely hard working. The environment is positive and I truly believe that this group is something special. I am excited to take on the challenge of this first year and look forward to setting a solid foundation for next year and the years after."
HUSKY BITS
2021 Women's Soccer Schedule Highlights:
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1st Game- Friday, August 27th (TODAY) at Chaffey, 2pm
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Home Opener- Tuesday, August 31st vs Pierce College, 4pm
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Conference Opener- Tuesday, October 5th vs Cerritos, 4pm
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Last regular season game- Tuesday, November 2nd at Long Beach City College, 2pm
- No date yet for the start of the SCC Tournament.