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With the fall season starting soon, the men’s soccer team has a lot of potential for 2011, with a fresh, full roster and a brand new bag of tricks.

“I feel great, I have learned a lot as first year coach,” said Edgar Manvelyan, head coach of the soccer team.  “We are headed in the right direction and we proved that last year. Our team is competitive and we can compete with the best.”

The Lancers were the only team to beat Mt. SAC in 2010.

A summer workout is prepping the Lancers to be more aggressive offensively as well as focusing  on the formation of their away games.

 “At home we did really well, although we tied a lot of games which we should have won. But it’s all part of the game,” Manvelyan said.

The 2011 season’s outlook for the Lancers looks superior and the drive for a post-season position is highly anticipated.  The main goal: to make playoffs.

“This year’s team has more talented players up front, and we’re going to score more goals,” Manvelyan said. “The chemistry on and off the field is great, we are like family.”

With the death of Assistant Coach Warren Altounian earlier this year, the team is trying hard to recover and stay focused.

“We lost one of our coaches and a best friend,” Manvelyan said. “It really hurt us a lot and we are trying to recover.  We’ve decided to dedicate this season to Warren and we’re going to go on the field and play for him, knowing that he’s there on the sidelines coaching us and helping us.”

The season opener for the men’s team kicks off Aug. 26 at noon at Cuyamaca College in El Cajon, home of the Coyotes.

As for the women’s team, fans must wait until Sept. 2 when the team faces one of the top teams, LA Pierce College, home of the vicious Brahmas.

The Lancers ended last season with a sixth place ranking in the South Coast Conference. They finished with an overall record of eight wins, seven losses and five ties.

“Playing them first should give us good sense of where we are as team and how much work we have to do,” said Head Coach Randy Lilavois.

With this being Lilavois’ second season as head coach of the women’s team, he and the team are looking forward to the 2011-2012 season.

Winning is always the main ambition in sports along with another major concern, especially for Lilavois, which is “staying healthy.”  So how exactly is that achieved?  According to Lilavois, it is to go into the season with a high fitness level and by simply, being healthy, mentally and physically.

“We started the season at 5-1,” Lilavois said about last season’s standings.

“As injuries took over we saw our record start to even out (finishing nearly .500).  This is a big concern going into the season … [We need to stay] healthy.”

As time dwindles down to the season opener and the hot summer practice sessions continue, the team is readying itself for another electrifying year of women’s soccer.

The Lancers take on the Brahmas in Robinson Stadium on Sept. 2 at 3 p.m.

Soccer team hopefuls perform passing drills at the men’s soccer tryouts at Jackie Robinson Stadium on Monday. About 40 players were selected out of a group of 90 to move on to this round. About 23 from this group will be selected to play on the team. (Anthony Richetts / Courier)

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