COLLEGE ROUNDUP, Sept. 14-20: Tuning up
Sep. 21—Every game counts from August on, but the simple fact is that some matter more than others.
And with the impending beginning of conference play for most fall sports at Bakersfield College and Cal State Bakersfield, the level of intensity and competition is about to ratchet up dramatically.
Coaches are hoping to glean every last bit of development from their teams before then, which has led to wide-ranging results against diverse competition on both campuses. Read on for more.
Bakersfield College
Football: BC was unable to reverse course following a road loss to El Camino and fell again at home to Golden West on Saturday, 24-14. The Renegades posted just 164 yards of offense and got both their touchdowns on punt returns by Christopher Thompson. It doesn't get any easier this weekend when BC hosts Mt. San Antonio College, the No. 3 team in the state, according to one poll.
Men's soccer: The Renegades' offense picked up right where it left off in the second half of its East Los Angeles victory from Sept. 14, and scored five goals in another home win over West Hills Lemoore on Friday. Anthony Miron posted a brace for BC, and Andrew Carrasco, Jesus Olloqui and Colin Uzih were credited with one goal each as the Renegades pulled away in the first half of a 5-2 victory. They followed that up with a 2-2 road draw under the lights in Santa Barbara on Tuesday, in which the Vaqueros scored twice in rapid succession and threatened to pull away late but Uzih managed an equalizer to bring BC to 3-2-3 overall on the year. The Renegades host Fresno Friday.
Volleyball: BC suffered another surprise home loss against Moorpark on Friday, a hard-fought 3-2 defeat in which three sets were decided by two points each before the Raiders took the decisive fifth. Kami Marion led the Renegades with 16 kills and 24 digs, and Aubree Dees had a triple-double. The result dropped the Renegades to 3-4 entering Wednesday night's road matchup with Ventura.
Women's soccer: BC head coach Edgar Linares wasn't satisfied with his team's energy level in last week's draw with Allan Hancock and wasn't placated by this Tuesday's result against Cuesta either, though the Renegades did win this one 2-0 on goals by Mariah Myers-Caldarella and Denise Ortiz Perez to improve to 5-0-1. They'll hope to stay unbeaten against Ventura on Friday.
Wrestling: The Sacramento City tournament was impeded by a power outage but several Renegades still managed to post solid results, as BC finished second overall to the hosts. Richard Garcia earned first place at 184, and Devin Saldana (165) and Corbin Hayes (heavyweight) were both runners-up. The team will continue its six-week road swing on Saturday with the Golden Eagle Tournament at West Hills Lemoore.
Miscellaneous and looking ahead: BC cross-country had the Cerritos Invitational unexpectedly canceled and will now turn its attention to hosting a meet at Kern County Soccer Park on Friday ... One team that competed in Western State Conference play from the get-go is women's golf, which had another top-three finish in San Dimas on Monday, and will compete in Simi Valley next week.
Cal State Bakersfield
Men's soccer: CSUB hosted a formidable University of San Francisco squad for its penultimate nonconference tuneup and lost 3-0. The Dons pulled away with two goals in a one-minute span in the second half. Next up is Portland on the road Friday.
Women's soccer: The Roadrunners turned 14 corner kicks into two goals in a 3-1 conference-opening win over CSUN. Jette Zimmer was at the forefront of that effort, earning Big West Conference Freshman of the Week honors with a successful penalty kick and an assist, and Anela Nigito and Kalea Eichenberger had one goal each. CSUB followed that effort with a strange 2-2 draw against Sacramento State in which all four goals came off free kicks, two scored directly by the Hornets' Aubrey Goodwill and two knocked in on rebounds by CSUB's Karen Flores and Hildur Jonasdottir. The Roadrunners, now 3-5-1, have a tough road trip ahead, facing Big West contenders in Long Beach State and UC Irvine.
Volleyball: It was a tough weekend on the court for CSUB as it packed the Icardo Center for the Central California Challenge but took three straight losses, including similar five-set results to Pacific and Sacramento State after holding 2-1 leads. Hayley McCluskey got all-tournament honors for the Roadrunners, who fell to 3-9 and will host Cal State Fullerton for their first conference game Friday.
Women's golf: The Roadrunners opened their season on the course in Eden, Utah, and made a bit of a splash. Despite CSUB's ninth-place finish out of 10 teams, the Kelsey Chugg Invitational featured several milestones, particularly for freshman Sarah Mutai, whose 9-over 225 through three rounds was a top-10 all-time score for the Roadrunners. She led CSUB to its fifth-best tournament performance ever. The team will look to build on its progress at Eastern Washington beginning Monday.
Miscellaneous and looking ahead: CSUB still hasn't hired a softball coach, but officially introduced a five-woman recruiting class for this year, including one true freshman in Jay Reeves and four transfers: junior Carla Duarte (Holy Names), junior Ciara Jensen (North Dakota State), sophomore Violet Salazar (Chaffey) and senior Brianna Sanchez (New Mexico).
Reporter Henry Greenstein can be reached at 661-395-7374. Follow him on Twitter: @HenryGreenstein.
