Angad Singh
Sports Editor
The Fighting Scots women’s soccer team’s sensational performance against DePauw set them up for winning the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) for a second consecutive year. The Scots’ performance against Denison University on Nov. 6 ensured their place in the final. Playing a familiar opponent, the team beat the Big Red 2-0, with Mila Zunich ’21 scoring just eight minutes into the game. Following Zunich, Miura Wiley ’21 cushioned the Scots’ lead against Denison. The Scots outshot the Denison Big Red 7-5, with goalkeeper Molly Hutter ’21 collecting the five saves and recording her seventh straight shutout. Going into the second half with a 2-0 lead, the Scots took the game, setting them up for the final against DePauw.
The Fighting Scot juggernaut continued ahead with the same momentum in the final against DePauw. It was a goal- less two halves against the De- Pauw University Tigers,but the Scots managed to find the back of the net in the second overtime, with Wiley scoring with just barely 56.3 seconds left on the clock, setting them up with an automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Women’s Soccer Championships for a second time in a row. On asking captains Mackenzie Goltz ’20 and Claire Davis ’20 on how it feels to win the conference back to back, Goltz stated, “This year we had to put our heads down and grind. A lot of us seniors had some scores to settle with teams that had beaten us in the past [such as] John Carroll, Oberlin, Denison. We were driven by the realization that we could beat these teams, and we just went out and did it.” Going off of what Goltz had to say, Davis continued, “It is a great feeling to be back to back champs and go to another school and win.We had a lot of doubters this season,so being able to prove them wrong was amazing.”
Goltz, Davis, Zunich, Hutter and Kelsey Stone ’21 join Wiley in the NCAC All-Star team. With Wiley’s last minute con- ference goal, she advances to the highest goal-scorer of the season for the Fighting Scots with a total of seven goals, a goal ahead of striker Holly Thompson ’21. Hutter on the other hand, recorded her eighth straight shutout, the keeper was kept busy against the tigers getting a career high of nine saves. Her performance was instrumental as the DePauw Tigers outshot the Scots 17-7. But it was in overtime that the Scots came back with a sensational performance, outshooting their opponents 3-1 and heading home with a win. Thinking ahead and contributing their win purely to the team as a whole, Huttersaid,“This win feels amazing because our team has worked so hard this year to get to this point. Our effort level is unmatched, and our team is a unit, everyone played a role in bringing back the trophy.”
Against 21st ranked Case Western Reserve University, the Scots hold a record of a 16-13-6 series lead, with Case taking the victory in overtime by 1-0. On their road ahead Hutter stated, “All of our focus is on the NCAA tournament and facing Case Western. I feel so lucky to be on this team and this is the best team I’ve ever been a part of.” Echoing Hutter, Davis continued, “The team culture and attitude is very positive this year, every- one wants to win. We are play- ing for each other and always have each others backs on and off the field. I have had the time of my life playing and winning games this year, and I am not ready to be done yet!”