Things are looking up for Seattle University Women’s Soccer after their 2-0 win against University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Sept. 28. After securing a shutout and out-shooting their opponent 20-6, they are hoping to turn around their season after a challenging 4-8-1 (win-loss-draw) start. 

Graduate Student defender Kacey LaBoda shared how important this win was to the team.

“I think that it’s really exciting to have two goals and more than triple their shots,” LaBoda said. “It’s really good to know that it was a goal of ours to really hit the target and follow through with that.”

Head Coach Julie Woodward explained how this season’s record did not reflect on their play, and how important it is for the team to believe in themselves and each other. 

“A lot of games we didn’t get the result we wanted, but the process and our play was actually really great,” Woodward said. “I think the hardest part was trying to get the team to believe in that, and they did.”

Although a tough start might leave many teams discouraged, Junior defender Kait Raffensperger and the Redhawks are feeling confident in their ability to take on the conference season. 

“We were challenged in preseason and that really made us come together as a team,”  Raffensperger said. “We were challenged at the start of our conference season… it’s really brought us together and made us work as a team and now we are ready for the rest of this conference.”

Rather than being frustrated with their pre-conference season score lines, the Redhawks focused on what they could control: their connection on the field.

“This team mentality that is slowly built… isn’t built in a week of preseason, it’s built throughout a few games,” LaBoda said. “I think that if we continue to stay level-headed, then we will be able to produce more and more wins.” 

Part of the fresh feeling the team has this year came from new faces. Goalkeeper Kassidy Kirgan, midfielder Katie Pilburn and defender Emma de la Cruz, all freshmen, have been consistent starters and inspired a new confidence in the team according to Raffensperger.

“I think they have really meshed into our program perfectly, Kass has been a huge leader, even though she is a freshman, she has a huge presence and a huge voice in the back and really gives us a sense of relief in the backline,” Raffensperger said. “Katie in the midfield really brings energy, Emma brings energy up top, we really have a lot of people who have come in and worked hard and given us a lot of good minutes.”

But more than just the desire to win motivates Seattle U Women’s Soccer.

“We want this school to be known as a soccer school. We are really proud of that, we are proud of the history our team has and we are very proud to represent our school,” Raffensperger said. 

They plan on doing this by making it to the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) Championship and securing a postseason title—an automatic NCAA Tournament qualifier.

It is clear that this team has a deep hunger to show who they are and the threat they pose to opposition. The upcoming games will be important to the Redhawks’ WAC success and are sure to be entertaining. 

But no one puts more pressure on this team than themselves. As Woodward explained for them, “pressure is a privilege,” and one they are not willing to take for granted. The Redhawks are determined to uphold a winning culture and bring pride to not only their program, but to the school as a whole.

With five conference games left, the Redhawks will continue their hunt for glory with upcoming games Oct. 5 at Abilene Christian and Oct. 8 at Tarleton. Victories in both games will be crucial to their conference success. Their last two regular conference games will be played at Championship Field Oct. 19 against Southern Utah and Oct. 22 against Utah Tech.