Author: Chloe Jenkins-Sleczkowski
Pulling into the final leg of the conference season, the Oxy women’s soccer team is fighting through roadblocks on its way to success. Although injuries and illnesses have presented obstacles, the team continues to push forward to the end of the season.
On Oct. 7, the women’s soccer team played the Whittier Poets for a 7-1 win. But this game was special for other reasons. Starting at the 83:23 mark of the game, Oxy scored two goals within five seconds of each other setting a new NCAA record for consecutive goals. The sixth goal was scored by Becca Verstraete (first-year) and a mere five seconds later the seventh goal was scored by Grace Reinhalter (junior) on a corner kick. The previous record had been seven seconds. However, the team is taking this victory in stride and continuing forward in the season.”We haven’t spent any time on it at all,” said Coach Colm McFeely about the team’s NCAA record. “It’s not a discussion we’ve had with the players. It’s barely been discussed among the coaching staff. We said ‘oh that’s nice.'”
Indeed, the team has had more important things to worry about, according to McFeely. “The main focus for us in the season has continued to take each game as it comes, and be good enough to get ourselves into the post-season conference tournament,” he said. So far, the team has played well enough to stay in contention for the post-season tournament, but still has some worries about playing consistently.
“Honestly I would say I am not satisfied with how our season is going,” said midfielder Grace Reinhalter (junior). “When we play our game, we dominate and win but when we play down to [the] other team’s level and lose confidence, we do not perform.”
The soccer team’s record is currently 8-5 overall, and 6-4 in SCIAC for the season.”We’ve played some good games that I’ve been really pleased with, there’s been one or two others where I feel we haven’t been at our best,” said McFeely. “It’s a matter of trying to retain that consistency.”The team has struggled to maintain a constant performance while coping with player injuries and illnesses. This season, two players are out with ACL injuries. Additional players have been sick with the flu and swine flu. However, despite the setbacks, everyone seems to be rising to the challenge, said center midfielder Alexandra McHenry (sophomore).
“[Injuries] have hurt us, but the other kids have stepped up,” said McFeely. “When you miss players who are on the team on a regular basis, sometimes you lose a little bit of momentum, but others have stepped in.” It was even these “relief” players who helped to score the NCAA record-setting goal on Oct. 7.
“[The goals] happened after a majority of the bench was subbed into the game, so non-starting, “relief” players we able to prove something on the field by coming out with energy and intensity,” said Reinhalter.The team will need to keep up the energy and intensity to finish the season with a strong record. Oxy’s chances for the SCIAC will depend upon these final records. “Our goal we set at the beginning of the season was to be in the top four in SCIAC and we are well on our way to achieving it,” said McHenry.”We should make it to the top four and hopefully play well in the tournament,” predicted Reinhalter. “We have the ability, we just have to show we want it and play with heart.”
In the competitive SCIAC league, Oxy will need to put in the work on the field when game day arrives. The Tigers’ game against Claremont-Mudd-Scripps will be an important determinant in the post-season conference tournament classifications. McFeely said that it would be tremendous to see support from the campus at this last conference home game against Claremont. This will also be senior day, when the team recognizes its senior players.
The Tigers will face-off against Claremont-Mudd-Scripps in the last conference home game on Oct. 28 at 4:00 p.m.
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