No. 13 Canyons to Host No. 20 Miramar in Wednesday's Postseason Opener

By Jesse Muñoz/COC Sports Information Director

College of the Canyons is headed to the postseason for a 13th consecutive season and will host San Diego Miramar College in a California Community College Athletic Association (3C2A) Southern California Regional Playoff match on Wednesday.

No. 13 Canyons (14-4-2) welcomes No. 20 San Diego Miramar (14-7) at 2 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 20.  

The Cougars finished the regular season second in the Western State Conference (WSC), South Division. COC was unbeaten in its last eight games down the stretch with a record of 7-0-1, including back-to-backs win to close out the conference schedule. 

Canyons features five players with at least five goals, led by sophomore Victoria Martinez (11). Sophomore Felicia Marquez and freshman Bailey Williamson are both dangerous on the attack with six goals apiece. Sophomore defender and captain Sofia Soler has anchored the back line while adding five scores of her own. Goalkeeper Hayley Bench (13-3-2) has played in 19 games and logged three shutouts. 

Miramar settled for third in the Pacific Coast Conference and were similarly 8-2 across their final 10 matches, also ending the year with two consecutive wins. The Jets, which average 3.76 goals per game, are 8-3 when playing away from home. The bulk of that scoring has come from freshman Jaedyn Thibedeau who has netted 26 goals and 10 assists across her 19 appearances. Sydney Puga (10-6) has seen the bulk of the time in net with three shutouts to her credit.

The Cougars' streak of consecutive playoff runs under head coach Justin Lundin dates back to the 2011 season (2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024). COC athletic programs did not compete during the 2020-21 season due to cancellations based on the COVID-19 pandemic.

In all, Canyons has played in the postseason on 17 occasions dating back to the program's inception in 1998.

Last season, COC advanced to the second round of 3C2A Southern California Regional Playoffs after defeating No. 8 Allan Hancock on the road in a double overtime thriller. The No. 9 seed Cougars were then eliminated by No. 1 Chaffey College for the second consecutive season. 

General admission to Wednesday's match is $12 for adults and $8 for seniors over 60 and children under 12, with tickets currently on sale. 

Wednesday's match will also be broadcast to fans free of charge via YouTube on the Cougars Sports Network.

The 2024 Southern California Regional Tournament begins Nov. 20 and runs through Saturday, Nov. 30. Two teams will advance from the SoCal Regional bracket to the 3C2A State Championship showdown Dec. 6-8 at American River College in Sacramento. 

Stay up to date on all this season's action by following the College of the Canyons Athletic department on social media at @COCathletics on X, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube. 

—Photo by Carla Sophia Velasco/COC Sports Information