Captain Kylie Jones (senior) said the two games this week were important because the SCIAC is such a competitive conference.
“The past four years that I’ve been [playing], there hasn’t been a big difference between the top team and the ninth team,” Jones said. “[The SCIAC is] just a different level of intensity. Every game matters, because any team could beat [another].”
Allison Bello (senior) said SCIAC games count towards playoffs, which is why getting points — especially so early in the season — matters.
“The conference games we play tend to be more competitive than some of the non-conference games, just because at that point everything counts,” Bello said.
Mia Merkelbach (sophomore) scored against Whittier in the 14th minute and Jones scored in the 29th minute, assisted by Bello.
Keira Dunlop (first-year) said the team worked hard to keep possession in the first half and maintain a strong defense throughout the second.
“[The game] against Whittier was a lot of fun because they’re a very physical team, so to be able to keep possession so much […] was awesome and definitely hard to do,” Dunlop said.
Jones said her goal against Whittier was her first at Occidental after two years of injury and a semester abroad.
“[The goal] was a big deal,” Jones said. “I am finally healthy, I moved positions and then I scored my first goal […] It felt like the cherry on top coming back from two years of hell.”
Mia Steadman (junior) scored a brace against CalTech, with goals in the 33rd and 65th minutes, both assisted by Samantha An (first year). Sophia Weigt (first year) scored in the 62nd minute. Steadman’s goals also marked her return from an ACL injury.
“[I spent] 14 months waiting to be back,” Steadman said. “It’s the best feeling ever. Being back on the field with your best friends, especially when you’re doing as well as we are, you fall in love with the game all over again.”
Last season, Occidental came in last place in the SCIAC and had a 0-11-3 conference record.
“To start off conference [with] […] two wins and a tie, undefeated, […] it gives us so much confidence going into the year,” Jones said. “We’ve been on the flip side, where it was only losses […] There’s a lot of confidence that comes with winning […] That’s what we’re feeling now, and we didn’t have [that] last year at all.”
The team has spent the past spring, summer and preseason focused on ensuring a stronger performance this year, according to Steadman.
“It was definitely a hard season, but there were a lot of lessons that we took away from it,” Steadman said. “We […] were so low and so down, and we never wanted to feel like that again. I think we’re embracing that this season, and we’re experiencing how we feel after each win. We just want to keep feeling like that.”
According to Bello, a large part of the team’s misfortune last season was due to injury.
“I think a third of our team was out for the majority of the season, at least,” Bello said. “It made practices more difficult, just because we didn’t have the personnel to do all the things the coaches wanted us to do. Lacking subs during games was difficult, and a lot of the players who we have back now were very key players.”
Bello said having so many players return this season has helped the team’s success.
“We have a lot of people coming back from injuries, which is really nice,” Bello said. “It’s nice to get them back out there, get them playing again, and I think it boosts a lot of the morale of the team. It helps the energy going into practices and in games, which […] has helped us find a little more success.”
According to Jones, her own experience with injury has made her even more grateful to be able to play.
“Especially as a senior, I feel like I have a different perspective on it, where I’m just so grateful for every minute,” Jones said. “It’s weird. I’m sore, and I’m grateful to be sore because it was such a hard two years that it’s nice to be back and be able to play.”
Steadman said the team is feeling positive about the upcoming season.
“Looking forward, we’re aiming as high as we can,” Steadman said. “We think that we can be a championship team this year. We just have to put our heads down, keep working, keep practicing the way we have been and we’re going to get the results for the rest of the season, hopefully.”
Contact Quinn Sumerlin at sumerlin@oxy.edu
