Women’s Soccer: Rio Hondo sweeps top postseason honors, total 11 All-SCC accolades

South Coast Conference postseason honorees (L-R): Jennifer Tanaka-Hoshijo - Coach of the Year, Vivian Viramontes - Offensive Player of the Year, and Brianna Valdez - Defensive Player of the Year.
South Coast Conference postseason honorees (L-R): Jennifer Tanaka-Hoshijo - Coach of the Year, Vivian Viramontes - Offensive Player of the Year, and Brianna Valdez - Defensive Player of the Year.
Posted: Dec 03, 2019

Members of Rio Hondo College's South Coast Conference women's soccer championship squad were rewarded after an impressive 8-0 run as the Roadrunners totaled 11 all-conference awards at the postseason coaches meeting.

Rio Hondo swept the top three honors as sophomore Vivian Viramontes was named the Offensive Player of the Year, freshman Brianna Valdez took home Defensive Player of the Year honors, and Jennifer Tanaka-Hoshijo was tabbed the SCC Coach of the Year.

Earning first-team All-SCC honors were sophomore defender Victoria Galindo, freshman defender Janessa Gallardo, freshman forward Alice Hernandez, and sophomore forward Serina Vargas were named to the All-SCC first team. Sophomore midfielder Zitlali Jimenez, freshman goalkeeper Anaguisel Ramos, freshman defender Eileen Rosales, and sophomore defender Lismed Salcido were all second-team selections.

Viramontes was the Roadrunners' go-to player on offense and came up with big plays when her team needed it most. Her 22 goals and 53 points ranked second in the SCC this season. Viramontes also tallied nine assists.

Valdez helped anchor a Rio Hondo defense that posted 12 shutouts this season, including in six straight conference games to close out the regular season. She also scored a goal, the game-winner in a 1-0 victory over Mt. SAC, and totaled four assists.

For Tanaka-Hoshijo, she led the Roadrunners to their third SCC championship (2016, 2017, 2019) and fifth conference title over the last six season after capturing consecutive Foothill Conference championships (2014, 2015) before making the move to the SCC.

The Roadrunners, who were ranked as high as No. 10 in the nation, closed 2019 with a 15-2-3 overall record. Rio Hondo ended the regular season having won nine games in a row, including a 3-0 victory over Cerritos College on Oct. 25 that gave the Roadrunners an outright conference title and ended the Falcons' 13-year run of consecutive South Coast Conference championships.

Rio Hondo made its fifth straight postseason appearance, earning the Southern California Regional Playoffs No. 2 seed. But the season was cut short after the Roadrunners were upset by No. 15 seed Saddleback College 2-1 in the first round of the playoffs.