Women’s Soccer Preview

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Author: Chris Nelson

After a somewhat disappointing 2006 season, Occidental’s Women’s Soccer team appears ready to make some noise in 2007. The Tigers are already off to a good start, having won two games and being up 1-0 in SCIAC matches. They take their solid beginnings as a sign of things to come.

“Our biggest goal this season is to finish in the top four in the conference,” Captain Adrienne Spivak (senior) said. A top-four finish would get Oxy into the SCIAC Conference Tournament, where the four best teams compete for the conference title and a berth in the national tournament. “The conference has a good degree of parity and we are good enough to compete for a top-four spot,” Coach Colm McFeely said.

The Tigers’ home victory over La Verne last Wednesday demonstrated the potential that the team has within the conference. The Tigers beat La Verne 3-0 in a game they dominated from beginning to end. “We came out hard from the start and capitalized on our opportunities,” Midfielder Elise Devereux (sophomore) said. “We deserved the win.” “I think the La Verne match showed that we are already working very well together,” Spivak said.

However, the Tigers will not let their solid start make them complacent. The team clearly feels there is room for improvement. “[Facing La Verne], we passed the ball well,” McFeely said. “But by halftime, we were just a goal up,.Having dominated the game, our goal is to improve our finishing.” Spivak echoed her coach’s desires when discussing the importance of finishing games. “We need to get better at putting teams away,” she said.

With four starting first-years, the Tigers field a very young team and rely heavily on leadership from Captains Spivak and Melissa Warner (senior), McFeely said. “When I first started coaching [at Oxy] six years ago, there were some great upperclassmen who took the younger players under their wings and that leadership [style] has permeated throughout the women’s squad since then,” he said.

Spivak and Warner help their younger teammates feel at ease by running warm-ups, organizing team events and making sure every first-year player feels good on the field. “The girls are all so much fun, which has made it really easy for me to feel comfortable on the team,” Midfielder Corinne Winkler (first-year) said.

McFeely is also particularly proud of the work ethic of his team, on and off the field. “They know when to have a laugh and when to work,” he said. They know when to hit the books as well. After the September 9 game against La Sierra, McFeely recalled just how quickly each player transitioned from athlete to student. “I looked around and each girl had her nose in a book. They really know why they are here,” he said.

It is that work ethic and balance that makes the 2007 Tigers so promising. The team is motivated, hard working, united in achieving goals, and optimistic about their chances this year.

“I think we are going to have a good season,” Spivak said. If the team continues on the course they are on, they will indeed.

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