The Irvine Valley women's soccer team takes the field for its first game of the 2015 season on Friday.
The Lasers and fourth-year coach Joe Supe are hoping to start build upon one of the best seasons in program history when IVC hosts MiraCosta at 3 p.m.
Last year, the Lasers had an overall record of 12-4-6, finished third in the Orange Empire Conference and made the Southern California Regional Playoffs.
The team defeated Cypress for the first time in program history and was also ranked in Southern California for much of the year.
Several top players are back, including three all-conference standouts.
They are sophomore defender Evelyn Lucatero, sophomore forward Rosa Soto Aleman and sophomore midfielder Marissa Perez.
Lucatero was named first team all-conference as a center back and was part of an IVC defense that allowed just 17 goals in 22 matches. The Lasers also recorded 11 shutouts.
Soto Aleman and Perez were each named second team all-conference. Soto Aleman was second on the team in goals with seven and also second in points with 17 last season. She had a two-goal performance in a 3-0 win over Fullerton.
Perez started all 22 of Irvine Valley's matches and had one goal and six assists for eight points on the year. She was valuable as both a defensive and offensive player for the Lasers.
Also returning are sophomore defender Christina Anderson, sophomore midfielder Virginia Hickman, sophomore forward Crystal Lefebvre and sophomore goalie Herminia Verduzco. Anderson, Hickman and Lefebvre were regular starters last season.
Anderson finished with three goals and one assist and was another key defensive player for IVC.
Hickman earned the team's coaches' award at the end of last season after being a rock in the middle of the field for the Lasers.
Lefebvre got better and better for IVC as last season went along and ended up pacing the squad in goals with eight. She scored seven goals in Irvine Valley's final eight games of last season.
Verduzco played seven matches in goal last season, made four starts and only allowed two goals.
Supe is also excited about a solid freshman class that includes the likes of forwards Brenda Chopin, Alexandra Benedict, Johana Abarca, midfielders Payton Purcell, Hannah Thetford, Alison Martinez, Danielle Lefebvre and Merna Mousa and defender Stephanie Orozco.
MiraCosta had a solid record of 9-7-2 overall last season and finished 4-4 in the PCAC North division for fourth place. The team went 6-3-1 over its final 10 games of the regular season.
Friday's contest is the first of three straight home matches to begin the season for Irvine Valley.
The team hosts Palomar next Tuesday at 3 p.m. and then will host three-time defending state champion Cerritos at 4 p.m. next Friday.
IVC also has matches at Mt. San Jacinto (Sept. 8) and LA Harbor (Sept. 11) before starting conference play against Santiago Canyon on Tuesday, Sept. 15 at 3 p.m. Santiago Canyon won another conference championship and was a state finalist last season.
