After a strong preseason in which they went 6-2-2, Turlock High’s girls soccer program opened up Central California Athletic League play on Thursday night with a dominant 8-3 win over Modesto at Joe Debely Stadium.
The Bulldogs were led by a hat trick from senior Isis Cosio. The senior quintet of Emma Zamudio, Megan Coelho, Eliza Roque, Kealani Solis and Jocelynn Gutierrez each scored a goal, with Zamudio also assisting twice.
Cosio and Roque each have seven goals to lead the Bulldogs this year, while Coelho follows with five.
The six senior scorers from Thursday are all starters and are described as leaders by head coach Nicole Lonergan. The Bulldogs graduated just four players from last year’s roster. And not only are her players experienced, but they are determined to return the program to its winning ways.
A handful of returning players were members of the 2023 roster that achieved a 9-0-1 record in CCAL play. Most came back to experience the “disappointing” 2024 campaign in which they won just three games in conference to finish in fourth place.
“We went from league champs to only winning four games all last season, and I know that it was a pretty tough thing for a lot of the juniors and seniors who had been underclassmen on that team, and so I think the girls just came out really reinvigorated this year and ready to compete,” said Turlock head coach Nicole Lonergan. “It's been really great to watch the girls say, ‘We want this. We want to be a top three team and we want to compete and to make playoffs again.”
Lonergan said the change in approach and preparation to each practice and game is evident.
“I think having such a positive mentality and the girls setting their own goals and keeping each other accountable is really awesome,” she said. “That’s what it takes to return to the playoffs. And again, it’s the seniors who are really leading the charge, and you can see it in the way they play, you can see it in the way they call each other up, you can see it in the way that they cheer for each other and support each other.”
The Bulldogs will look to improve to 2-0 in CCAL play on Tuesday when they travel to Modesto to face Downey. The Knights, after losing 7-1 to reigning league champion Gregori on Thursday, achieved a 5-3-1 record in the preseason. Kickoff is slated for 6 p.m.
The Jaguars, who were undefeated at 8-0-2 against conference opponents a year ago, remain the team to beat in the CCAL. They improved to 8-1 overall this season after the Downey win. Meanwhile, Pitman, who was the league runner-up after going 7-2-1 in league play, went 7-1 this preseason, but played to a scoreless draw against 10-2-1 Enochs on Thursday. With nearly every team posting similar records and statistics, Lonergan is expecting an intense four weeks.
“We have a challenge, for sure. Gregori was undefeated as league champs last year, and they are still a very strong team. Both Enochs and Pitman have had very strong preseasons, as well. I'm just really excited for the girls to compete at this level, because there's nothing like playing in the league, whether it’s the rivalry games against Pitman or against other contenders. It's just a different level of competitiveness when they're playing in league, and so I'm excited to see how we continue to grow and improve as our season starts ramping up.”
