The Fighting Scots women’s soccer team has historically been one of the strongest teams in the North Coast Athletic Conference. In five of the last six seasons, the team has finished with at least 12 wins.
From the looks of this past weekend, this upcoming season will be no different.
To put it lightly, there was hardly a moment this past weekend when the Scots weren’t in control of the Herb Lauffer Tournament in Erie, PA. To put it a little more colorfully, the team took their opponents’ lunch money.
To start off the 2008 season, the Scots took on the State University of New York at Geneseo. The Scots did not take long to start the season with a bang ‚Ä” Taryn Higgins ’09 scored in the game’s first five minutes on a corner kick. Higgins’s score was the lone goal of the first half.
Early in the second half, the Scots padded their lead with a goal from Kate Kiley ’09. Kiley’s goal came on an assist from her frontcourt mate Liz Mott ’11. Mott came out of the gates firing as a first-year last season, scoring five goals and handing out nine assists to lead the team in points with 19, ahead of the now departed Laura Ayer ’08, who finished with 17.
For good measure, Nicole Himebaugh ’12 tacked on one more late in the game’s 71st minute. It was Himebaugh’s first collegiate goal.
In the tournament final against host Penn State Behrend, the Scots again jumped on top first. Kiley notched her second goal of the weekend of an assist from newcomer Mary Riney ’12 that came midway through the first half.
Chantal Koechli ’10 followed suit with a cross that found the net only a few minutes later. The Scots went into the half with a 2-0 cushion.
The opposing Lions were able to cut the lead in half ‚Ä” albeit for a mere 12 seconds. Twenty minutes into the second half, Lindsey Steinsdoerfer scored what would eventually be the only score the Scots would allow during the entire tournament. However, with an assist from fellow first-year Kelsey Peters ’12, Caitlin Browne ’12 put the Scots back on top by two a few mere seconds later.
Sara Dresser ’09 got in on the scoring as well, effectively putting the nail in the coffin in the 70th minute on an assist from Koechli that came on a corner kick.
While the offense grabbed the headlines, it was the defensive play that won the tournament for Wooster. Kristin McCall ’09 was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player. In addition to McCall’s significant defensive effort, Alix Hoffman ’11 started both games in goal for the Scots and allowed just one goal while tallying seven saves.
Overall, the Scot defense allowed just 10 total shots in the two tournament games.
After a dominating opening performance in the Herb Lauffer Tournament, the Scots have now climbed to No. 10 in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America.
The Scots have an easier schedule this weekend, with one game at home against Mount Union College. The home opener against the Purple Raiders will be at 1 p.m. at Carl Dale Memorial Field. On Wednesday, Sept. 10, the team will host Marietta College.
Over the past few years, the Scots have had impressive regular season records, but have been unable to come in first in a very tough conference; in fact the team has been unable to finish higher than third. If the team is to capture that elusive conference crown, it will have to step up against the stiff conference competition.
The conference slate starts with a home date against arch-rival Wittenberg University on Oct. 4. If the team can come up with a victory there, it will be a very positive sign.