City College men’s soccer team is headed to the post season for the sixth consecutive season after finishing third in the Western State Conference.

The Vaqueros, who finished the season 10-6-4 (8-4-4 WSC), are confident in their preparation. The squad is seeded No. 12 of 14 teams in the California Community College Athletic Association Championships. Last season the Vaqueros made it to the Final Four.

“The coaches are doing a great job to prepare the team technically and mentally for the game … we are responding very well to that,” said freshman midfielder Saleh Alkhdairi. “We certainly know that the whole season effort comes down to the playoffs.”

City College will travel to Rancho Cucamonga to face No. 5 seeded Chaffey College Panthers in the first round on Saturday, Nov. 17, at 2 p.m.

“It’s a challenge to go away, but we’ve got good records to win so it doesn’t worry me,” head coach John Sisterson said.

The Vaqueros defeated the Foothill Conference Champion Panthers (16-2-2, 7-0-1 Foothill) when they met earlier in the season.

“I think we have a great chance at winning due to the fact we had beat them 1-0 at the beginning of the season,” midfielder Justin Saul said.  “We have come much further since then.”

City College uncharacteristically struggled out of the gates in conference play, scoring a single goal and going 1-3-1 in its first five conference games. But the Vaqueros rebounded, finishing the season 7-1-3 in the last 11 games.

“It was a poor start for the season,” said freshman midfielder Adam Colton. “We actually got better.

The Vaqueros scored 35 goals this season and only allowed 26. Sophomore forward Chijioke Aranotu led the team in points with 13 (8 goals, 5 assists) with freshman forward Kian Chachi just behind him with 12 points (9 goals, 3 assists).

Saturday’s victor will play the winner of Oxnard College against Orange Coast College on Tuesday, Nov. 20, time and place to be determined.