As most students are adjusting to life back on campus, Pomona-Pitzer (P-P) women’s soccer wasted no time getting right back to its winning ways. With four shutouts in their 5-0 record, they boast a clinical offense with seven goal scorers combining for ten goals scored and a fierce defensive line that has conceded just one goal in five games.
The Sagehens soccer team picked up where it left off last year, eyeing its seventh regular-season SCIAC title in a row. They have started their season strong with five consecutive wins, including a last-minute 2-1 comeback victory over Cal Lutheran on Wednesday, Sept. 17.
Led by senior Hannah Hong PO ’26, an All-American and returning SCIAC Offensive Player of the Year with four goal contributions this season, P-P has outshot its opponents 74-44.
One of the biggest X-factors in the team’s winning start has been their defense, according to captain and goalkeeper Hadley Johnson PO ’26.
“We’ve had an opportunity to have a lot of different players in both the goalkeeper position and in the back line as well,” Johnson said. “I think having that kind of trust in each other and our communication and ability to know that everyone’s gonna do a great job has been fantastic.”
The Sagehen back four has already been recognized as a force to be reckoned with, as Vivian Rojas Collins PO ’27 was named SCIAC Defensive Player of the Week for the second consecutive week. Rojas Collins also scored the long-range free kick to tie the game at 1-1 against Cal Lutheran.
In addition to the defense, the team’s intensity in their preseason preparation has played a large part in the team’s success to date, according to Ally Hsieh PO ’29.
“We always try to keep a game-like intensity during practice and even during lifts, just staying focused and taking it seriously,” Hsieh said.
Last season, the Hens finished 15-2-4 overall and outscored their opponents 37-6 in their sixth consecutive regular season SCIAC title run.
Although the goals for the team remain the same, fans may notice some differences in this year’s squad. The current roster for the season features a freshman class of 10, accounting for almost one-third of the entire team following the departure of nine seniors from the previous year.
With this new wave of freshmen, building chemistry has been one of the main goals since the start of the season, led by upperclassmen such as Johnson.
“There’s an opportunity to set a new team culture and a new standard,” Johnson said. “Obviously, it can sometimes be a challenge just having players who are coming into their first season on our team, but also their first year of college. Transitioning is always tough, but it’s really been exciting this year. Everyone fits in really well, and the team is looking great.”
The close-knit community has helped the freshmen learn from the upperclassmen who have played in high-stakes games during their time with P-P.
“All of [the upperclassmen] to me are my role models,” Hsieh said. “I look up to each and every one of them, and they’re all really supportive.”
With this new opportunity came new talent, which captains like Hong were excited to see on the field.
“Obviously, it’s a huge adjustment going into the season, because we lost such a big class, and now we have a big class coming in, but I think we have a lot of talent on our plate,” Hong said. “The freshmen look great from the start of pre-season.”
The Hens have no plans to slow down after their hot start and have set their sights on further postseason success. According to Hong, they hope to bring the momentum from their regular-season success into the playoffs.
“I think we’ve done great in season, and we’ve won so many games, but we’ve always kind of had our season cut short in the NCAA playoffs,” Hong said. “This year, we want to break that spell, get out of that and hopefully make it to the next round.”
The Sagehens fell short in their previous NCAA tournament appearances, exiting in the second round in each of the past four years. Of those four, three came at the hands of their kryptonite, Trinity University, and all were penalty defeats.
Johnson hopes to set the team’s sights high on another SCIAC title and trip to the NCAA tournament.
“It’s definitely a standard we set at the beginning of the year,” Johnson said. “One of our mottos is chasing championships. And so the SCIAC goes along with that, as well as the tournament.”
“One of our mottos is chasing championships. And so the SCIAC goes along with that, as well as the tournament.”
With these goals in mind, leaders like Hong and the team are more than ready to meet the high standard they set for themselves, built through preparation in practices thus far.
“Since we’re such a new group of players, there’s a lot of change,” Hong said. “But I think during these practices, we’ve been really just getting used to playing with each other and playing with new people. We’re at a point in the season now where we’ve kind of built that chemistry and we’re ready to show people the talent that we have on our team.”
With a squad hungry for goals and trophies, fans can expect another exciting season from the Hens, led by Hong and Johnson, with a fresh new roster to help them on their championship run.
Following a late-breaking victory with the game-winning goal scored in the last minute of the game, P-P’s SCIAC title race is afoot early, and the Sagehens march on with a 5-0-0 record. They’ll look to continue the hot streak versus Occidental College on Saturday, Sept. 20, at Pomona-Pitzer Soccer Stadium.
Facebook Comments