The two soccer coaches at Woodland Community College are already recruiting potential players from UC Davis and Chico State University.
Sept. 19 is the first day of practice for those in the new athletic program – the first of its kind for the college – and Cristina Baggio and Andres Olmedo are pleased with initial sign-ups, although they still want more players.
The new teams at the college, located at 2300 E. Gibson Road, will be called the "WCC Eagles."
"There's been a lot of posts about signing up for classes, and the numbers look really strong," said Baggio, who heads the women's soccer program. "We'll be in a building phase right now, so we're looking to
train and build."
Baggio said that in many ways, soccer and the players would be pioneering future college programs.
Olmedo, who is leading the men's program, concurred. He noted the "numbers are increasing even as we speak" and that he's reached out to the soccer clubs in Davis as well as to players at Chico State.
Olmedo explained that he wants to establish connections and "plant the seed" for the future. He hopes that students who might not be ready for a four-year program will take advantage of Woodland College's two-year programs and then move up to a four-year school. Chico State, he implied, would benefit from this, as would UC Davis.
Both coaches are also excited about their recent affiliation with Adidas, which will bring both recognition and revenue to the program.
"This is something to get excited about because it means we'll be opening a team store and a fanware page," Baggio explained. People will be able to purchase team apparel and other material, with 10% of the proceeds going back to Woodland College's Athletic Department, which will help fund the teams.
"It's a way for the community to get involved and show their support," Baggio said, noting that discussions are underway to expand the contract.
Work is also nearly done on a team logo for uniforms, with Olmedo noting that a "reveal" is scheduled soon.
Both Baggio and Olmedo said people can sign up or learn more about the soccer program at https://wcc.yccd.edu/campus/athletics or by going to the college's website https://wcc.yccd.edu.
It will still be a while before competitive soccer matches get underway, the coaches added. Actual scrimmages won't start until next fall against some local club teams, which will be followed by non-league games. The schedules are still being worked out.
Initially, the teams will play on soccer fields at the Woodland Community Center. Once the money is available, a soccer field will be constructed at Woodland College in a couple of years. Money for the field will come through a variety of sources.
Both coaches were only recently hired and have strong backgrounds in coaching soccer at the high school and semi-professional level in Sacramento, Woodland and Davis.
Baggio is a native of Dix Hills, New York. She spent the last three years at her alma mater, Yuba College. In her first season as a 49ER in 2019, the team held over a .600 winning percentage record, finishing the season third in the Bay Valley Conference with two first-team all-conference and three second-team all-conference student-athletes.
Under Baggio's leadership, the 49ers succeeded not only on the field but in the classroom, with multiple student-athletes on the academic recognition list holding over a 3.0 GPA, CCCAA Scholar Athlete Recipients, and a number of academic excellence scholarships.
Prior to Yuba College, Baggio spent three years as an Assistant Coach at Chico State University, working alongside Wildcats head coach Kim Sutton. She played an integral part in helping the Cats reach postseason
play in 2017. Baggio began coaching at Chico State in 2016.
Olmedo, meanwhile, is well-known in the Woodland and Davis soccer communities. He has been teaching in the Woodland District since 1998, with his coaching experience dating back to 1999 and his playing experience going back to the 1980s. He has coached at Woodland High School since 2002, served as the Chivas Woodland Futbol Academy director in Woodland, and coached the Woodland Soccer Club as well as the Davis Legacy Soccer Program and the Sacramento United Soccer Club.
His teams have won the NorCal Premier League in the Under-12 category and the NorCal Premier State Under-11 division, among others. In addition, he took the Woodland High School girl's soccer team to the playoffs from 2007 through 2011, with the team being recognized as the TCC League champions in 2007.
His teams also hold seven league titles, four section championships, and also took the NorCal Regional Championship.
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