The Washington University women’s soccer squad started their season off with two victories and a loss.
They played their first two games at the Bob Baptista Invitational at Wheaton College (Ill.).
“[That] weekend, it would have been great to win both games, but beating Wheaton was what we went there to do and we did it!” said junior Marin McCarthy. The Wheaton women won a national championship two years ago and came into this match ranked sixth in the nation.
Junior captain Kim O’Keefe added, “It was also a huge win because we came from behind to push the game into overtime.” Freshman Becca Heymann scored the team’s goal in regulation while senior captain Sara Schroeder scored the game-winner in overtime.
“This was our first come-from-behind win, said O’Keefe. It shows that our team has a tremendous amount of heart.” Sure enough, the Bears upset over Wheaton earned them a spot at 21 on the National Soccer Coaches Association of America/Adidas Top-25 National Rankings.
Wash. U. defeated Aurora University on Saturday afternoon for their second overtime win of the season. This time, senior captain Meghan Marie Fowler-Finn kicked the game-winning goal and the Bears won 1-0.
Fowler-Finn, Schroeder and Talia Bucci are the team’s only three seniors and three of their four captains.
“Being a varsity athlete at Wash. U. isn’t easy,” said O’Keefe. “These girls have enthusiastically made a huge impact on the soccer program and will be sorely missed next year.”
O’Keefe and McCarthy also speak highly of the newest additions to the roster.
“We have an amazing freshman class both on and off the field,” said McCarthy. “We lost great players last year, but we have high expectations for this season and the freshmen are already coping really well.”
“Our freshmen we brought in this year have really been showing their stuff and pushing the upperclassmen on the field,” added O’Keefe.
The Wash. U. women’s soccer program has a short, yet impressive history. Although it is only 18 seasons old, the Bears have not suffered a losing season since 1994. With a reliable and dedicated group of upperclassmen and their new class of hard-working, talented freshmen, this year’s team isn’t afraid to set their goals high.
“We have an amazingly talented group this year [and] have been working really hard,” said O’Keefe. “Our main goals of the season are to regain the UAA conference title and pursue a national championship.”
While the team seems to have its work cut if it is to make a run at a national championship, these Bears still know how to have a good time while doing it. O’Keefe said the team has what it calls a “WU Factor competition” during each game.
“The goal of the competition is to make your teammates say WU, as in ‘WOO that’s impressive,’ at some point during the match,” O’Keefe said. “It really adds an element of friendly competition on the field and pushes players to show off their creativity as a player.”
Come watch the Bears as they try to make each other “WU” and annihilate the Wartburg College Knights in their home opener this Saturday at 1 p.m.