SIGNAL PEAK – A new era has begun for the storied Central Arizona College women's basketball program.

Geoff Golden became just the third head coach of the Vaqueras when his hiring was announced on Oct. 3. Golden replaces Denise "Gooch" Cardenas, who compiled a 358-72 record and won one national championship 14 seasons but resigned earlier this year amid an investigation by the Pinal County Sheriff's Office into financial irregularities and allegations by former players that she misused financial aid money.

Hall of Famer Lin Laursen was CAC's coach for 34 seasons, from 1974-75 through 2007-08. Laursen led the Vaqueras to three national titles and a 971-145 record. Her win total is the NJCAA women's record.

Golden is optimistic this year's team can be a viable contender despite several potential impediments, starting with his late hire. Central's top returner, guard Senya Rabouin, will miss at least the first month as she continues to recover from a knee injury sustained late last season. And compared to the other Arizona Community College Athletic Conference powers, the Vaqueras will be at a disadvantage when it comes to physical size and roster depth.

"I think we've got a chance to be better than most people think," Golden said. "They may be underestimating us a little bit. I think we'll be in the mix."

Golden has more than 20 years of coaching experience at the high school, club, college, international and professional levels, according to his bio on the school's athletic page. He served as an assistant women's coach for one year at both Northern Colorado and Montana State, which compete at the NCAA Division I level.

The Vaqueras open the season on Saturday with a nonconference home game against Bella Vista Prep. They will play three more nonconference games — all on the road — prior to the Nov. 22 conference opener at home against Chandler-Gilbert.

"Our talent level is good," Golden said. "We just have to overcome our lack of depth and lack of size. The sophomores know what this league is about and they have to have great seasons. And we need one or two freshmen to step up and play at a high level."

Rabouin led the ACCAC in 3-point shooting percentage last year with a .415 mark, going 68 for 164. She ranked fourth with a 14.7 scoring average and second in steals with a 3.0 average. The second-team all-conference selection also averaged 3.5 rebounds and 2.9 assists.

The other returners are projected starters Mia Ross and Cailee Crawford, along with Thirza Hanus. Ross averaged 8.3 points, 3.2 rebounds, 4.0 assists (No. 3 in the ACCAC) and 1.5 steals. The 6-foot Crawford averaged 6.8 points, 4.6 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.5 steals.

"Mia is high energy and with Senya we'll have a really good 1-2 punch at guard," Golden said. Crawford, who originally signed with San Diego State out of high school before coming to CAC, "is a Division I talent," he said.

Among the six freshmen on the 10-player roster is former Vista Grande standout Jayla Scott, who at 6' 1" is the team's tallest player. Pa'Shence Walker, Anna Costa Riera and Mileina Sablinskaite are expected to get significant minutes. Rounding out the roster are Ashlyn Swenson and Kymani Bledsoe.

Golden said "the girls have been fantastic" since he arrived on the scene. "It's been a difficult situation for them, but we've hit the ground running fast. I'm proud of how they've handled the adversity."

The Vaqueras went 24-6 overall and 17-3 in ACCAC play last season, finishing second in the conference standings behind Arizona Western (30-3, 18-2). Central was eliminated from the postseason with a first-round Region 1 tournament loss to Eastern Arizona (27-5, 16-4). The ACCAC's other D-I teams are Cochise (11-12, 9-9) and Yavapai, which reinstituted its program after having last competed in 2010-11.

"It should be very competitive and I'm looking forward to a fun season," Golden said.

Starting times for the women's games will be 7:30 p.m. on weekdays and 4 p.m. on Saturdays.