Coaches Busy in Offseason, Head Coach Baquero Wins National Championship
Head Coach Jaymie Baquero worked with the Olympic Development Program along with volunteering time with community organizations while Assistant Coach Lawrance Marin saw success with Mater Dei.
It's been a busy off-season for the women's soccer coaches at Santa Ana College, full of National and Sectional Championships, community service, and a few weeks hosting the U.S. Women's National Team.
Head Coach Jaymie Baquero kicked the off-season off with a National Championship as a member of the Cal South Pro+/Olympic Development Program 1998 Girls on March 1 in Phoenix at the U.S. Youth Soccer ODP Championships. Cal South 98 used three second-half goals to defeat Iowa 98 3-0 in the championships. That victory came after a 3-0 win over Eastern New York 98 in the semifinals.
Baquero wasn't the only coach enjoying success in the offseason. Assistant Coach Lawrance Marin got in on the winning ways when he joined up with Mater Dei High School's varsity girls team. Marin, the Head Coach of the junior varsity team at Mater Dei, assisted with the varsity team that won the CIF Southern Section Division I Championship. The Monarchs would go on to the Southern California Regional Championships, where they won their first two matches via shutouts. Mater Dei's run ended in the Regional Finals with a 3-1 loss to La Costa Canyon.
The busy offseason continued with Coach Baquero volunteering her time with the GRIP's Soccer Camp (Gang Reduction Intervention Partnership) here in Santa Ana, organized by the Santa Ana Police Department. Baquero worked with 15 kids, ranging from fourth grade to eighth grade, from Santa Ana in sessions that included ball control, skill work and dribbling before the groups scrimmaged against each other. The camp is designed to deter kids from joining gangs by encouraging team-building through extra-curricular activities.
Finally, both Baquero and Marin helped Jose Vasquez, Head Coach of the men's soccer team at SAC, as Santa Ana College hosted the U.S. Women's National Team's training sessions in preparation for the upcoming FIFA Women's World Cup 2015. More information on the U.S. Women's National Team at SAC, including photos, can be found here.
