Chloe Burdette

Sports Editor

 

For The College of Wooster Fighting Scots women’s soccer squad, their eyes were on the ultimate prize: A chance at the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) trophy. From the start, the team was young, talented and ready for any obstacle opponents threw at them. With perseverance and a winning mentality, the Scots advanced their way through their season with a significant win against a hard-fighting Kenyon College Ladies team in the NCAC Semi-Finals on Wednesday, Oct. 31, and patiently waited to see where their travels would take them next. As the no. 2 seed, Wooster would travel to Granville to take on no. 1 seeded Denison if the Big Red were victorious in the other semi-final. However, with Wittenberg’s huge upset win at Denison, the highest-seed remaining Scots got to host the Tigers at the John P. Papp Stadium in the NCAC Championship game on Saturday, Nov. 3.

With the stakes at an all-time high — an NCAC Championship and a berth in the NCAA national tournament on the line — the Fighting Scots came out of the gates ready to fight. Playing in front of an energized home crowd of 280 fans, Wooster used a stifling defense and an aggressive offense to punch their ticket to the national tournament with a 4-0 rout of the Tigers. The win was the first women’s soccer NCAC tournament championship in school history and the first NCAA appearance since 1996.

The total domination started early as NCAC Tournament MVP Erica White ’19 opened the scoring eight minutes and 31 seconds into the game with a rebound at the goals doorstep that she buried into the back of the net. When Devin Frisby ’19 scored 14 minutes later, the showdown was on. Wittenberg was fortunate to get to halftime only down a couple of tallies, as Wooster dominated both first half possession and shots on goal.    

Any realistic hope the Tigers had of making the game difficult for the Scots evaporated 21 seconds into the second half. With the help of a Wittenberg own goal, the Scots took an insurmountable 3-0 lead after a cross ball deflected off a Tiger defender, trickling into the back of the net and out of reach for the goalkeeper. The scoring ended two minutes later as Miura Wiley ’21 gave the Scots their fourth goal of the day off a nifty assist by White. The second half was similar to the first as Wooster again dominated in all statistical categories.

Not lost in the offensive explosion was the stellar play of the defensive unit, led by goalkeepers Maddy Ireton ’19 and Molly Hutter ’21.  The two net-minders split the game with Ireton playing the first half and Hutter the second. The sophomore made the lone save for the Scots in the 60th minute, going full stretch up to block a shot from Wittenberg’s Missy Bernhardt ’19, to parry the ball above the crossbar.

Bigger Goals: An NCAA Championship

Reflecting on the team from the beginning of the season and their overall journey, there were many goals that were set for the Scots to reach. First came goals from the mind of David “Geordie” Brown, well-known coach at the College for his winning seasons and advancing to the NCAC tournament title three times in his career. This season marks his fourth time reaching the title game overall. “Our goal for the season was to develop a winning mentality and give us the chance to compete at the top of the NCAC,” Brown said. Brown was keen on making sure the team progressed through the season with a sense of teamwork, but also individuality in order for each player to be the best they could be. “We needed to figure out how to get the best out of the group we had and for everyone to have a role. We have given the team the room to have its own individuality but also tried to foster a sense of competitiveness,” Brown added. 

From the players’ point of view, the overall attitude of the team is what helped them progress throughout the season, and eventually snag themselves a championship. Ireton, stellar goalkeeper for the Scots and crucial leader for the team going into the championship game, said the road to the championship was definitely not easy. “There were disagreements, conflicts and sometimes it felt like it was never going to work out. Our team dynamic isn’t perfect, no team’s is, but the key is respect,” Ireton stated. She added, saying, “This year we had a common mission, and we knew that a strong team dynamic could make all of the difference. We have worked as hard off of the field as we have on it, and we know we have to continue working on it for the rest of this season and in the future.” 

Ireton stressed the importance of the “little things” that contribute to the creation of a championship-material team. “The moments that stand out to me are the small ones, the ones that most of the time nobody notices, like when I see one of my teammates going out of their way to cheer up another, or when I see a player giving it their all during a rainy practice and sliding into mud and bench to keep a ball in play during a scrimmage. Thousands of those small moments are what make a championship team.” 

Anna Hartig ’20 also chimed in on the team’s road to the NCAC final. “One of the most important goals that our coach always encourages is to focus on the little things. A team doesn’t win a championship overnight, and we worked on perfecting every little thing to help us win.” She further added, “the work and effort that everyone has done to be where we are now is what makes this team so special and this win so incredible.”

White knew the team had what it took to accomplish such a special win. “I knew we had it in us even before the season began. I remember talking to Maddy [Ireton] over the summer saying how this is our year to bring the ’ship home to Wooster. We did just that. Never this season have I doubted the ability of our team to go all the way. Everyone but ourselves doubted the level of talent on the team, and we turned it around and showed them how great we can really be.”

As the team prepares for their next game in Round One of the NCAA Division III Soccer Championships, Coach Brown strives for a set game plan. We need to figure out our plan for the next game and start implementing that over the next few days of practice,” he stated. “We are playing against other ‘champions’ now, so every team is playing with confidence. We have to figure out how we adjust following some unfortunate injuries in the last week and prepare to play our best at the weekend,” Coach Brown is confident in the team with their future endeavors, stating, “[This team has] a lot of skillful players who have blended themselves together into a tough, hard-working, quick passing and functioning unit.”

On the Road: Postseason

Next up for the Fighting Scots is an NCAA tournament game at Centre College versus the Centre College Colonels on Saturday, Nov. 10 at 11:00 a.m.  With a win, they would face the winner of the University of Chicago versus Grove City on Sunday, Nov. 11 at 1:00 p.m.  

The Fighting Scots know what it takes to win a championship, so they will be bringing that same mentality when playing against their next opponent. 

Overall, the team is proud of their accomplishments and is happy to bring a championship back to Wooster for not only their coach, but also for their supportive fans. In the words of Ireton, “I feel proud of my teammates, coaches and all of the people who support us inside and outside of the College. I feel proud of everyone who has been a part of this program in my four years here. The preparation to win this championship didn’t start this year or the year before that or even the one before that. It has been a lot of hard work on and off the field for many, many years. We are more than ready.”

Photo from Wooster Athletics