Seals PDL and U20 player, Stephen Cordova, was selected 2^nd Team All American for the 2007 NSCAA/adidas Men's Junior College Division III  last month.  With 21 goals, and 5 assists, Stephen was a cornerstone for the City College of San Francisco Rams (CCSF) this past season.  Stephen’s honors this season also included league MVP and All Conference.

“I am very pleased for Stephen,” said Seals General Manager Tom Simpson.  “Stephen is a terrific young man, and always brought a lot of energy and force to his play for the Seals this season. He is an explosive player with one of the most wicked shots I've seen.  It's no surprise that he was the scoring leader for SF City College and was voted All American.  Last year, as a U20 player, Stephen scored, at times, at will.  There was just no stopping him.  For him to be successful at the next level he'll need to learn a few things but should he, there is no telling where he'll top out."

“I was pretty pleased with my season,” said Cordova, “though I broke a couple of bones in my hand in a match against Los Positos.  I hated sitting out – it was only one game, but I just wanted to play.”  So play he did.  “I got back into the game against Cabrillo College with a big soft pad wrapped around my hand cast, which was a little clumsy, but I got back into it pretty quick.”  Cordova went on to score in nearly every remaining game of the season.

Cordova has been a strong and consistent player for CCSF.  In 2006 he scored 20 goals and 11 assists.  That season he was also named to the All Conference 1^st team.  As a high school player at Phillip Burton High School, Stephen led the SF AAA league in goals for the 2003, and 2004 seasons, and helped lead the Pumas to the league championship in 2004.

“My highlight this season was beating Skyline,” said Cordova.  “I got both goals in that match.  But it wasn’t really the goals that was so great.  We were just really clicking that day.  Everyone was on the same page, and it just felt great.  I don’t think it would have mattered who we were going to play at that point, because we were going to win.  It’s too bad we didn’t have that game in the playoffs.”

The Rams went 12-0-4 in Conference this season, and were 15-1-5 overall.  “That one loss came in a tournament the first game of the season” recalls Cordova.  “We never looked back at that loss.”  

In the Playoffs, the Rams had to face Hartnell in the first round.  They had faced Hartnell twice in the past 4 games, beating them in the first match 4-0 on two goals and an assist from Cordova.  The second match was a 0-0 tie.  But the playoff match was Hartnell’s time, and they took a 2-1 win away from the Rams.  “We got one late, and thought we had it, but they came back and put two in on us.  It was disappointing, but we’d really had a great season.”

“I haven’t decided where I’ll go to school next year” said Cordova.  “I’d like to stay in the Bay Area or at least California, I think.”  One thing he knows he wants to do for sure this summer - Stephen looks to rejoin the Seals.