The 2025 PCC Women's Soccer team strives to be more driven and resilient with its newly assigned team leaders. 

In the 2024 season, the Panthers lost 2-0 to the Tacoma Titans in the first round of the NWAC playoffs, but they are preparing to advance much further this year.

Head Coach Shawn Bundy has named three new team leaders for the fall season. "This is a chance for these young women to take on a leadership role,"  Bundy says. The head coach takes a different approach from the traditional leadership roles usually seen. "It's not about who the best player is. It's who leads by example, the girls who come in before and after practice, ready to lead."

When choosing the team leaders, Bundy didn't have a number in mind of how many he was looking for. "In the application, I let them tell me what they thought they could bring to the team," Bundy explains. For many of his players, this is their first opportunity to be in a position like this. "This is huge for them, our team is very diverse, and I'm excited about that." 

Ultimately, he landed on 3 team leaders, Aurora Hammerstedt, Joselyn De Los Santos, and Melanie Alcantar Lopez. "These girls lead by example, they do extra work, and they are whole team-oriented," Bundy says. 

Bundy has taught both men's and women's soccer, but expresses his opinion that with the women's teams, they have a better ability to work together and solve problems. "In my experience, team building is easier on the female side. The girls I work with care about each other a lot."

Joselyn De Los Santos, a Midfielder on the team, was named the Inspirational Leader this coming season. "I want to prioritize building strong team chemistry and ensuring that all my teammates feel included." De Los Santos makes it clear that she is committed to creating a comfortable space for her teammates to "work more effectively together, both on and off the field." She has found purpose and resilience through the sport and wants to share that experience with her team.

Communication is a big deal to Head Coach Bundy. "Soccer is cool because it's a player's game. If they have an issue, they have to solve it on the field." He says the leaders he chose can push and educate their teammates in situations he can't. 

Melanie Alcantar Lopez, a striker and the Offensive leader, has played soccer for her whole life. It's a healthy distraction from everything else. The sense of community is a big motivation. "Being able to hit the field with other amazing players makes the game so much more fun." In her newly established role, she wants to win. "I want to help lead our team to win and show others how good we are." 

Being a leader also allows the girls to improve their personal abilities.

Aurora Hammerstedt, a center back and the team's defensive leader, is ready to step out of her comfort zone in her new position. "I can be a person who stays silent when I have ideas or visions relating to technical or tactical aspects of soccer." Hammerstedt says, "It was time I broke that shell." Though it's a chance for her to grow as a person and player, Hammerstedt's "biggest leadership goal is to create a welcoming and empowering environment for freshmen and sophomores." 

Bundy describes his coaching philosophy as flexible. "It's important that players feel safe enough to make mistakes and get back out on the field to play better." Bundy believes soccer is a player's game. "It's important for them to be put in situations where they have to solve the problem together." With his newly appointed leaders, he looks forward to working more one-on-one with players as the team leaders take on more responsibilities.  

The fall 2025 season officially starts with a home game against the Rogue Ospreys on Aug 29th. The first preseason game is at home against the North Idaho Cardinals on Aug 7th.

The complete 2025 game schedule is found here.