(Walnut, CA) After losing in the CCCAA Southern California finals last season to Golden West College, Mt. SAC Men's Head Coach Juan Sanchez knows his team "......has to put in the work to get back to state."

The work begins today (August 28th) as the Mounties host Mira Costa College at 6:00 pm.

The 2018 season, marked the first time in 12 years, the Mt. SAC Men's Soccer Team missed out as one of the state's final four teams.

"Streaks are meant to be broken," said Sanchez, who has led his team to five state titles. "I reflected back on the season a lot last December and it was learning experience.  That loss was a blessing in disguise that helped me grow as a coach."

Sanchez returns 12 players, which includes goal keepers, Alain Hernandez and John Samano.

Samano and defenders Jacob Sowder and Tristan Sprague were named captains for the upcoming season.

Returning after taking a year off is goal-scorer Jose Santoyo. The sophomore forward had 12 goals in 2017, which included a hat trick against Long Beach City College.

"He brings in a lot of potential (on offense)," Sanchez said.

Sanchez will welcome 12 freshmen to the traditional powerhouse Mounties Program.

The team will once again host the annual Mt. SAC Azteca Soccer/Adidas Tournament on September 8th and 10th. The four-team tourney includes three 2018 CCCAA playoff teams; Fullerton College, College of the Canyons and College of the Desert. "These are three quality teams," Sanchez added.

The Mounties will play their annual game against Richland College (TX), in Richland, Texas on Saturday, October 5th.  Richland has been a powerhouse team in the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) with seven NJCAA Division III National Titles, the latest one coming last season.

Follow Mt. SAC Men's Soccer on twitter @MtSAC_MSoccer or Instagram @mtsacmenssoccer

Follow Mt. SAC Athletics on twitter @MtSAC_athletics or Facebook @Mountie.Athletics

For additional information, please contact the Mt. SAC Sports Information Office at 909.274.4630.