Being the best comes with a target on your back. For the Long Beach City College Women’s Soccer team, that target has only gotten bigger.
The Vikings have compiled a 9-0-1 undefeated record to climb the rankings and be named the No. 1 team in the state. Rather than being content with the elite ranking, LBCC is using the honor as motivation to keep chasing success.
“It’s an honor and it’s work that you’re putting in to hopefully be considered one of the best,” Head Coach Tino Nuñez said. “But also keeping in mind that it is early. There’s a lot of soccer to be played, and we haven’t won anything.”
This year’s success comes with a fresh roster of faces. After fielding a sophomore-heavy team last season, the Vikings had a much younger squad coming into the 2026 season.
There are a handful of returners on this year’s team, including sophomore midfielder/forward Arabella Rosales, who said her team is working together to cultivate the recent success.
“What’s really made the difference for us this year was just recognizing how we’re a different team and just recognizing our strengths that we have as this unit,” Rosales said. “I think we have very, very good team chemistry.”
That team chemistry has become one of LBCC’s biggest strengths. With players adjusting to competing together, there is a deep level of trust coursing through the Vikings.
“It’s been stressed a lot that we have depth on our team and amazing girls on and off the bench,” freshman midfielder/forward Joanna Rodriguez said. “When people need to come out, there’s still all the girls [that] can just come in and still still have a really high standard.”
This trust is reflected in the depth of this year’s team, which is a crucial element in their success thus far. Rather than depending on a handful of key players, the entire roster contributes to each team win.
“It doesn’t matter if you start or if you go in as an impact player, I think our depth is what makes us great,” Rosales said. “We have a very strong starting group, and then as soon as we make substitutes and changes, that energy still plays like it’s still up there.”
Nuñez said the balance he has on his roster is especially important on a young team still learning to play together.
“I think it’s just a combination of the two groups coming together and just starting to trust each other and believe that they can do something together,” Nuñez said.
Among the group of core returners are captains Sky Demelo and Jocelyn Aquino. Both players rotate in as forwards, but they have been anchoring the Vikings’ midfield for the majority of the season.
Demelo has been a big offensive threat for LBCC, with Aquino able to hold the midfield and push up when getting involved in the attack.
On defense, sophomore goalkeeper Gloria Gomez has been a wall against opponents. The six-foot-tall keeper is a strong presence keeping the Viking defense organized and effective.
These returners have helped guide a talented group of freshmen through the challenges and adjustments that come with competing at the next level.
“It was important for them to kind of lean on somebody that has been there, done it,” Nuñez said.
Rodriguez is one of the freshmen in this class who has been able to embrace the opportunity to learn from returners. For her, a Long Beach Poly alum, there is an added layer of pride in playing for her city.
“It’s really cool playing for somewhere where you’re born and raised,” Rodriguez said.
That experience has been especially rewarding as LBCC continues to establish themselves among the state’s elite programs. But, Rodriguez understands that being ranked No. 1 in California does not guarantee anything, and there is more work to be done.
“Obviously, we still haven’t won anything yet, and we still have to get after stuff and be hungry to win,” Rodriguez said. “The ranking matters, but it doesn’t at the end of the day because anything can happen.”
This perspective has become a central theme in the Vikings’ program. Even with the success, the team has maintained a highly competitive environment both in training and games.
“We go into every practice and every game wanting more for ourselves individually and as a team,” Rosales said.
For Nuñez, this is exactly what is making his team tougher to beat each and every day.
“We have a good internal competition that I think is helping make us better,” Nuñez said.
This mindset is a key part of how the team is continuing to chase victories. The No. 1 ranking is an honor, but the Vikings know it comes with a new challenge — especially with opponents hungry to upset the top team.
“We know we’re the team to beat,” Rosales said. “We know every team that we play against is going to give us something new.”
But for now, the team’s goals are simple: continue winning and grow stronger together.
The Vikings will focus on the rest of conference play before the SCC Tournament kicks off in November.
