The women’s soccer team captured the West Alameda County-Foothill Conference title in historic fashion, becoming the first team since the league was formed in 2012 to pull off a perfect season: 10 wins, no losses or ties, and zero goals conceded. The Dragons were also the highest scoring team in the conference with 26 goals.
“Offense is the best defense is definitely one of our mottos,” said Coach Jon Nishimoto, who is in his seventh season at the Dragons’ helm. “But the bottom line here at O’Dowd is we challenge the girls to be the best on every play. Whatever they put forth on the play before, we want them to give more on the next one, and they live by that. They’ve learned to do that as a team and it’s really beautiful to watch.”
The No. 4 seed Dragons begin their North Coast Section (NCS) Division 2 playoff campaign on February 15, hosting No. 13 seed Pinole Valley at 5 p.m. Click to see playoff bracket »
“To win every game in league play and not have a goal scored against, a lot of things have to fall into place,” Nishimoto said. “And this team has been incredible. They’ve bonded off the field as well as on the field. The leadership on this team has been the driving force behind our success. The leadership provided for our younger players has been the absolute direct reason way we are having success.”
Added Nishimoto, “The key is we approach every game with the idea of giving our best. And as long as we give our best and stick to the plan that’s been set forward for the team, we end up being successful collectively.”
