The Lady Roadrunners soccer team have started off the 2015-2016 season in great shape and got an important home win at Smith Park vs Moorpark on Sept 18.

Sabrina Gonzalez scored the first and only goal with an assist by Janeth Acuna in the close match up between the two sides.

The Lady Roadrunners held the lead throughout the game and ended up winning 1-0.

Getting wins early on in the season is very crucial and an important aspect of the game, as teams continue to develop throughout the season.

It is no secret that the coaching of a team plays a major role in the success of the team itself, and Head Coach Jennifer Tanaka has shown year after year how motivated she is to be working alongside the Lady Roadrunners here at Rio.

Tanaka was hired as an instructor in the Kinesiology Department and soon after became the Head Coach of the Women’s Soccer team approximately 8 years ago.

When asked what sparked interest in coaching she said, “I’ve been coaching since I was 15 years old and I just love the game of soccer. I grew up playing soccer. I began when I was around 6 and played club soccer throughout my youth. I was chosen for the Olympic Development Program team for several years and went on to play Division 1 for the UC Irvine College team.”

Staff File Photo

As for the Lady Roadrunners, Tanaka says the team trains very hard on weekdays, rain or shine.

When asked if she loves her job as head coach, she responded by saying, “Yes, I love being part of this great college and helping students further their education.”

She also feels very strongly that she cannot see herself coaching at another college and is very happy here at Rio, and looks forward to bringing more titles to the school.

As far as Tanaka’s personal life goes, she says that coaching has always taken up most of her free time.

“I make a commitment to the players on my team to be there for them and that’s the sacrifice I make, just like the players make the sacrifice to be part of the team and be there for their teammates,” says Tanaka.

Just like most sports, it takes a team effort and full commitment from everyone involved to be successful as a team. Tanaka definitely brings that to the table and it shows through their successes as a team throughout the years.

Tanaka definitely has an amazing track record and much experience in the sport of soccer and coaching as well.