GONZALES — Gonzales High School and Hartnell College graduate Norma Verduzco will be attending Cal State Monterey Bay to continue her studies and pursue a spot on the Otter women’s soccer team. Verduzco was an All-Coast Conference player as a forward for the Hartnell Panther soccer team and was a leader on the school’s first-ever Coast Conference championship team.
“What helped me make the final decision to attend CSUMB is the fact that they have my major (Collaborative Health and Human Services),” said Verduzco. “I have heard it is a great school to play soccer for. They have a new coach and have kept in contact after we played against them while I was at Hartnell. We are starting on Aug. 7 and I am very nervous.”
Verduzco led the Panthers in scoring with 20 goals and along with two assists. The Panthers under the guidance of head coach Ivan Guerrero and his staff finished with a 9-1-1 Coast Conference record and were 11-7-1 overall. For her efforts Verduzco was chosen as the Coast Conference Player of the Year.
The 21-year-old Verduzco was a three-sport student-athlete at Gonzales playing on the Spartan volleyball, soccer, and track and field teams. The two-time All-Mission Trail Athletic League soccer player was a two-time Central Coast Section qualifier in track and field as a triple jumper.
The Otter women’s soccer team is a Division II school and a member of the California Collegiate Athletic Association that includes UC San Diego, Cal-Poly Pomona, San Francisco State, Humboldt State, and Sonoma State.
