Warriors Named 2023 National Champions

FINAL USC JUNIOR COLLEGE DIVISION III MEN'S SOCCER RANKINGS

KANSAS CITY, Mo. --- For the first time in the history of the program, the El Camino College men's soccer team was distinguished as the 2023 National Champions according to the United Soccer Coaches'.

The Warriors earned the distinction after claiming the No. 1 overall spot in the final USC Rankings which were released on Tuesday.

The Warriors become just the second program in the history of ECC Athletics to earn a National Champion distinction and first since the 1987 Warriors football team earned the distinction from J.C. Gridwire.

In 2023, the Warriors claimed the fifth 3C2A State Championship in the history of the program and first since 1992 after defeating Cuyamaca, 4-0, in the finals on Sunday afternoon.

The Warriors (24-1-0) nearly completed the third perfect season in program history (1982, 1985), with the team's only loss coming at Norco in the third game of the season on Sept. 5. The 24 victories tie a school record set by the 1981 team that went 24-2-0 and finished as the state runner-up to Foothill College.

The Warriors' 111 goals set a new program record and is the most goals ever scored by a team in the 3C2A in recorded history dating back to 2013* with the next closest team scoring 89 goals in 2021 (Hartnell). No team had ever recorded 90-plus goals in the 3C2A prior to this season.

While the offensive firepower was impressive, the Warriors defense was up to the task as well as the team only allowed 13 goals all year and shutout their opponents the entire postseason including the South Coast Conference tournament (seven games). The Warriors had an astronomical +98 goal differential for the season and scored 34 more goals than the next best team in the state while allowing the second fewest goals in the state behind Taft College who allowed 10 goals in six fewer games than the Warriors played this season.

The Warriors posted 17 shutouts for the season and finished the year without allowing a goal in their final 636:53 minutes of action, not including injury time. The Warriors scored 28 goals in their postseason tournaments (SCC Tournament + 3C2A State Championship Playoffs) with 20 goals in 3C2A tournament alone.