Portia McGroarty
The office of head soccer Coach Adolfo Perez is like a soccer shrine; equipped with motivational quotes, trophy’s and pictures of past teams scaling the walls, his love for the game is blatantly visible.
As the Pierce College women’s soccer team is finishing up one if its most successful seasons, Perez is ready for next year.
Prior to 2001, Pierce didn’t even have a soccer team, so Perez had to build one from scratch.
“At first, there wasn’t even a soccer ball available to me. It was tough, because I was used to coaching club and you have everything already taken care of when you get there,” said Perez.
In the beginning, coach Perez faced an uphill battle. From scheduling games to scouting players, he took on a heavy load.
Coming in without a program “forces you to become a better coach,” said Perez, “because you have to be well-rounded.”
Despite the initial difficulties, Perez has made Pierce women’s soccer into one of the leading teams on campus and in the state.
“We’ve had an incredible run and we’ve made playoffs every year since the start,” said Perez, “and we’ve been very close to winning the state championships two times… We’re getting closer every year.”
Perez found his footing on the soccer field at a young age.
“Soccer meant everything to me as a child, it was a big part of my life,” said Perez.
After playing soccer in high school, on club teams and at CSUN, Perez went on to play professionally in Mexico.
“It is such a great sport. There is a reason why it’s the number one sport across the world,” said Perez. “To get 22 people playing on the field with one ball is pretty amazing.”
While in Guadalajara, Mexico, he earned his coach “A” license, which is a professional license to coach soccer.
“I think soccer is an avenue for young ladies to not only become better players, but better people,” said Perez.
For the Pierce women’s soccer team, scouting new players is essential.
“We go to local high schools — El Camino, Chatsworth, Birmingham — word of mouth and our former players try to recruit girls too, so we get them from all over the place.”
Like the majority of college sports, becoming a successful player and part of a team takes extreme dedication.
“The team becomes such a big part of you. During the season, I spend more time with the Pierce women’s soccer team than I do with my own family,” said Perez. “It’s such a commitment, but it’s rewarding.”
Perez tries to impart discipline to the girls as the core of the game and a basis for success in life.
His strength as a coach certainly carries over to the girls on the field, as the team has won 124 games in the last seven years, which evens out to about 17 wins a year in a conference that, on average, only plays 18 per year.
“Playing for him helped make me the player I am now. Adolfo can sometimes be tough to play for because he expects so much from his players, but it is that mentality that brings out the best in his team,” said Pierce soccer player Jamie Doyen, 23.
His ability to see potential in his players and help them reach it is one attribute that has helped Perez’s teams reach success.
“Adolfo has helped me become a better player because he has always been able to see what I am capable of,” said Doyen. “He takes players that might be average somewhere else and helps them excel. I would not have played college soccer for any other coach.”
When a coach stresses hard work and preparation in his team, it can outweigh the talent that an opposing team brings to the field.
“I think the things Adolfo stresses the most are hard work and discipline. His teams are able to win games against better players and better teams because of the intensity they bring to the game,” said Doyen. “In my experience, Adolfo’s teams work harder in practice than most other teams, and that work ethic shows in the games.”
Perez is very proud of the players that have passed through his field, and it shows when he talks about them.
“We’ve been fortunate to have girls with a good work ethic. More than 50 percent of our girls move onto four-year schools, so we take a lot of pride in that,” said Perez.