Liam Walsh (senior) scored the tie-breaking goal in a soccer game against Chapman University at Occidental College Oct. 17. The goal came off of a free kick from Walsh after a draw in regular time and a scoreless first overtime period.
“When I hit the shot, I saw a slight deflection off of the wall, and I pretty much immediately knew it was going in, seeing the goalie move to the other side, being thrown off by the slight deflection,” Walsh said.
With the 2–1 victory, Occidental secured a playoff spot in the SCIAC tournament, but according to Walsh, maintaining focus on the remaining games to play in league is important for the team’s growth.
“Being able to maintain that consistency and that belief that we know we’ll come out on top in every game is going to be very crucial to our playoff run if we want to be successful,” Walsh said.
Head coach Rod Lafaurie said Walsh’s leadership throughout the match supported the high-energy atmosphere that helped the team close out a long game.
“When you have a good leader, it’s contagious, and his energy helped propel the rest of the team as well,” Lafaurie said. “We also know that a team reflects the attitude and attributes of their leader, and our team reflected his last night and throughout most of the season.”
According to Walsh, the difference-maker in the game was the attitude that Occidental brought to the second half after being down a goal in the first period.
“We were all very positive coming into halftime knowing that we were creating chances and that the opportunity was going to come, and once it came, we were going to get that goal,” Walsh said.
After a hard-fought first overtime, Walsh said the drive to not simply last until the final whistle but to score a goal as early as possible was what drove Occidental to a win.
“Once the goal went in, it was feelings of both immediate bliss and relief as well, especially because the game was so tiring, just an absolute fight out there,” Walsh said. “Having the team come celebrate was a really special moment.”
Lafaurie acknowledged Walsh’s development as a player and leader over his four years at Occidental as a contributing factor to his success in the Chapman game and beyond.
“Through his time here, Liam has been a model of growth, consistency and leadership,” Lafaurie said.
Walsh’s favorite soccer minigame is soccer tennis, and he eats a PB&J sandwich and a banana before every game.
Laura Chun (senior) was the SCIAC swimmer of the week following her performance in the Pepperdine Invitational Oct. 13. In the 100-meter individual medley (IM), Chun swam a time of 1:02:71, making her the second-fastest swimmer in this event in the nation this year.
“I was really happy with my 100 IM in particular,” Chun said. “100 IM is not actually a SCIAC event, so it’s one of those events that I wanted to swim because I don’t get to swim it often, and it was just a nice little surprise to be able to go that fast.”
Although Chun posted high-ranking performances in her individual events, she said the team aspect of swimming was one of the most enjoyable parts of the Pepperdine Invitational.
“My favorite part of this meet was relays. We have a huge freshman class, and they’re all so hardworking and incredibly fast,” Chun said. “It’s so much fun doing relays this year because we just have so many interchangeable, fast girls.”
Head coach Steve Webb said Chun’s performance in the meet is promising for the outlook of her SCIAC season.
“This meet really sets her up well to have a phenomenal rest of the season, and I can’t wait to see what it has in store for her,” Webb said. “I know she has some really good goals, and if she continues to keep up the hard work, she will put herself in a great position to achieve all of them.”
Chun said the chemistry the team has developed so early on in the season is already serving them well, as the camaraderie between upper and underclassmen has set a standard of hard work at practice.
“Our practices are more intense,” Chun said. “The freshmen are not just meeting expectations but surpassing them, and the upperclassmen are rising to that level. Hard work breeds even more hard work.”
Chun’s ability to lead is demonstrated through her dedication in training and commitment to improving, according to Webb.
“Laura has a phenomenal work ethic, and entered the season in tip-top shape,” Webb said. “She is a two-year captain for our team, and she is someone that you can always count on to be a leader for the team.”
In the future, Chun hopes to expand on her study abroad experience by exploring more of Southeast Asia, and she looks up to professional swimmer Katie Meili.
