Merced College set to celebrate launch of men’s, women’s soccer teams
Merced College will be hosting a men’s and women’s soccer doubleheader to celebrate the new soccer programs on Tuesday, Sept. 7.
Merced College will host a Blue Devil Soccer Kickoff celebration at noon with the women’s team facing Feather River at 2 p.m .and the men’s team playing Feather River at 4 p.m.
Both Blue Devils programs will compete in the California Community Colleges Athletics Association.
“It’s a chance for us to showcase what we’re building here,” men’s coach Sergio Sousa said. “Programs that do well are well supported by their community. The community will generate money for these programs. Developing a fan base will be crucial going forward.”
With so many strong high school soccer programs in the area, the Merced College soccer teams will give local players an opportunity to continue playing at the collegiate level locally.
The Blue Devil programs could serve as a springboard to four-year schools for area athletes.
Trustee Ernie Ochoa campaigned in 2016 on bringing soccer to Merced College.
“The community kept asking about it while soccer kept growing in this area,” Ochoa said. “So my second year of my first term, I brought it up at one of our meetings, and President (Chris) Vitelli ordered the staff to do a feasibility study on adding men’s and women’s soccer. Everything else fell into place after that.”
Sousa will coach the men’s team and Josh Daughdrill will coach the women’s program.
Sousa played at Turlock High, Modesto Junior College and Stanislaus State, and also played in the Major Arena Soccer League with the Turlock Express, and coached at the club (Academica SC of the National Professional Soccer League) and college (UC Merced) levels for the past decade.
Daughdrill has been coaching soccer since 2007, starting at the recreational level, according to his bio at Merced College’s website. He’s been coaching competitive level soccer since 2011.
This story was originally published August 31, 2021 at 5:00 AM.
