Calvin women’s soccer defeated the No. 6 and No. 8 teams before tying with the No. 1 ranked Washington University at home on Monday, Sept. 23.
This year, the Knights got out to a slow start, with a 1-2-1 record in the first four games of their season. The team also lost four starting players from the 2023 team, so returning players had new roles to fill this season. However, the team has faced similar challenges before.
“We have a lot of new people, so it just took a little bit of time to kind of come together, and I think a lot of those pieces are working,” sophomore forward Avery Mrozinski told Chimes.
After the opening four matches, the toughest stretch of the season was still ahead for the Knights. The team’s next three straight games were against teams at the top of the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) conference.
“We’re kind of the underdog this year,” Bri Wade, a forward and defender on the team, told Chimes. “It’s a lot easier to get up for those games,” she said about the team’s excitement.
The unranked Knights team staged a comeback at home against sixth ranked University of Chicago, winning 3-1 on Sept. 14.
Calvin then went on to host #8 University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, clinching a repeat 3-1 victory. Then, the Knights were able to draw their match against #1-ranked Washington University, shutting down the Bears’ offense for a final score of 0-0. The tie is the only time WashU has not won a game this season..
While the Knights wanted to claim a victory over the first ranked team, a tie still adds to their impressive resume and has boosted their rankings. Over the three-game home stretch the Knights shot from unranked to No. 22. They are now ranked No. 17.
“We’ve really just gelled and we’ve been playing really well, it’s just taken time to find our rhythm,” Mrozinski told Chimes. The team appears to have found that rhythm just in time for the beginning of the conference season.
MIAA conference play begins this week, where the Knights won’t be the “underdogs” anymore. “In conference we have a huge target on our back,” Wade told Chimes. “Everyone [on the MIAA teams] hates us and wants to beat us. They’re sick of us winning.”
Under head coach Emily Ottenhoff, the Knights have won four straight regular season titles and three out of the last four MIAA tournament titles.
The Knights have no plan to stop winning. According to both Wade and Mrozinski, the team hopes to win the regular season and conference tournament titles and advance further on the national stage. Last year, WashU knocked them out in the Sweet 16, but this year the Knights are looking to make a run to the Elite Eight — or even further.
The Knights travel to Alma, Michigan, on Wednesday, Oct. 2, to take on the Alma College Scots.
