The community college season is approaching, and five programs in the IE are ready for the 2024 season. Fortunately, all five programs are in the same conference, the Inland Empire Athletic Conference or IEAC. This group comprises six programs, five from the IE: SBVC, Chaffey, Norco, MTSJ, and Victor Valley College. The top two programs advance to the postseason. I do consider Victor Valley College part of the IE. You can check the IE map I use on my home page.
SBVC
Last season
Last season, the Wolverines finished 2023 with a 6-9-5 overall record and 3-5-2 in conference. They placed 4th in the IEAC conference, which is not a playoff spot.
Coach
SBVC is led by Jenna Lefay, who is in her second season in charge. She has been an assistant coach for several years, serving Kristen Hauge, SBVC’s most successful coach.
Opinion
I know Coach Lefay as she was my soccer teacher when I went to SBVC. She is very focused under pressure, fosters community with her players, and has a loyal alumni network that provides mentorship to strengthen Wolverine connections. This is her second year as head coach after being an assistant for a number of years for the legendary Kristin Hauge. Now that coach Grace Cooper is no longer at Chaffey, this could be her chance to get a playoff ticket for SBVC.
Interview
Coach Lefay was the only coach to respond to my preseason survey, which I sent to coaches before the season started. Here is how the interview went.
What are your goals for the season?
“Goals for the team this season is growth. I want each and every player to grow not only as a team, but individually as a player. I’m proving on multiple aspects of their game. Everyone wants to win. We are competitive athletes and coaches so winning is in our nature. If every player and coach on my team can say they are better than the first day they started than that means they grew and I did my job correctly. That is my ultimate goal.”
What are some improvements that you want to implement from last season?
“Improvements that I am hoping to implement from last season is our teams overall fitness and strength. Soccer is a 90 min game every single player should be able to play at a top high quality level for 90 + minutes. Thats a big thing I want to improve on from last season.”
What are some positives from last season that you want to continue?
“The Family atmosphere I create here at valley is always something I want to continue. The bond these players create and the everlasting friends shows me they truly came together as a team.”
Who is one team that you’ll pay extra attention to?
“Conference play in general is a big focus for us. A lot of new head coaches this season including myself this season being my first full recruiting season, there will be a lot of new this year in our conference. From new fields to new coaches the competition continuing to improve.”
Poll
I also conducted a poll on my Instagram asking my followers if the programs will see the postseason this year. My followers consist of players (professional and not) and coaches, so their votes carry some weight.
| Votes | Percent | |
| Yes | 7 | 58% |
| No | 5 | 42% |
Norco
Last season
Norco ended the 2023 season with an overall record of 4-15-1 and 0-10 in the conference, which landed them last in the IEAC.
Coach
This season will be Drew Rea’s first season in charge of the women’s program, as he is also the men’s coach. Previously, Bryan Kuderman was the head coach for four years. At that time, Coach Kuderman had 18 wins in the program. Coach Rea, in contrast, has had historic accolades with the men’s program, leading the Norco men’s program to 14 overall wins, the program’s most successful season ever.
Opinion
The program has had only two successful seasons since 2012, and the other years were quite awful, with some seasons not winning a single game. I think the decision to have coach Rea take over the women’s program and his men’s side should hopefully translate to success. It will take some time to turn it around, but hopefully, this season will be a comeback.
Poll: postseason?
| Votes | Percent | |
| Yes | 5 | 38% |
| No | 8 | 62% |
VVC
Coach
The Rams are coached by Walid Jomaa. According to the VVC website, he’s been in charge for an unknown amount of years. Last season, the VVC program had an overall record of 7-10-2, 2-6-2 in conference. This performance did not land them in the playoffs, as they placed 5th in the IEAC.
Opinion
I don’t have much of an opinion on the Rams, but as I said before, with Chaffey’s change in coaching, the Rams have an increased chance of going to the postseason without worrying about Chaffey’s dominance.
Poll: Postseason?
| Votes | Percent | |
| Yes | 1 | 12% |
| No | 7 | 88% |
Chaffey
Coach
This season will be the first year coach Daniel Fox will be in charge of Chaffey. Like many other coaches in the IE, he is a novice to head coaching these programs. Coach Fox has the toughest time following the great Grace Cooper. Cooper’s era lasted 14 years, with the program ending each season with more than 10 wins. Her last two seasons were the program’s finest performance, with the Panthers making deep runs in the CCCAA playoffs. Without a doubt, Chaffey is the best CC program in the region.
Last season
The Panthers finished the 2023 season with an overall record of 21-2-3 and a 9-0-1 record in the IEAC conference. This performance landed them in first place. Their postseason run ended in the CCCAA semifinals, where they lost to Folsom Lake 2-1.
Opinion
The program has been an unstoppable force since 2002. They have mostly had winning seasons, with a few seasons under 5 wins. They have recently pushed far drives in the CCCAA tournaments to top off their successful dynasty. However, this was under coach Grace Copper, who recently stepped down. Now, Coach Fox will take the torch. It can be anyone’s guess if he will keep the torch burning or let it go out.
Poll: Postseason?
| Votes | Percent | |
| Yes | 9 | 100% |
| No | 0 | 0% |
MTSJ
Coach
This is coach Julio Reyes’s third year as Mt San Jacinto coach. Looking at the records, coach Reyes has made a change overnight. He led the Eagles to 26 overall wins in the last two seasons, while his predecessors haven’t had more than 10 wins since 2016.
Last season
In 2023, MTSJ finished with an overall record of 16-3-2, 7-1-2 in conference. That placed them in second place in the IEAC. Their playoff run saw the Eagles beat El Camino in the play-in round but lose to Chaffey in the first round of the CCCAA playoffs.
Opinion
Ever since joining two years ago, this coach has turned the program around quickly. Before COVID-19, MTSJ received little attention or success, but seeing how coach Reyes dedicated his time to making the team successful has made waves among the other IEAC programs. With Chaffey’s new coaching staff, I expect MTSJ to go far.
Poll: Postseason?
| Votes | Percent | |
| Yes | 2 | 29% |
| No | 5 | 71% |