On Sunday, Sept. 21, years of grit, goals and glory came full circle as the Pomona-Pitzer (P-P) women’s soccer team held an alumni celebration to honor the 40th anniversary of the program. The game symbolized efforts that have gone into building the P-P women’s soccer program by both coaches and players, and how far women’s sports have come in Claremont since the program began as a 5C club team in 1985.
The game, which consisted of graduates from as far back as 2016, ended in a golden goal from Ciannah Correa PO ’22.
Taylor Marshall PZ ’25 said Sunday’s game offered her a chance to reflect on the program’s lasting influence. Marshall emphasized how proud she felt for both her teammates and the generational legacy of women’s sports that the alumni game showcased.
“It just reminds me of how much bigger this program is than ourselves, and it reminds me how far women’s sports have come,” Marshall said. “When we come back [as alumni], we’re also laying the foundation for women in sports.”
Jen Scanlon, head coach of the program since 2003, discussed how the alumni game was a meaningful measurement of how much P-P women’s soccer has evolved since its inception.
“We’re really in a good place that we have people from those eras who have stayed connected to the program and who were here last night to be able to tell the story of those early years and the origin story behind this program,” Scanlon said.
Moreover, the alumni game helped demonstrate the special and lifelong community that P-P women’s soccer fosters.
“[The program] just keeps getting better and better,” Scanlon said. “We’ve built a really strong culture and community around what it means to be a part of this team, taking responsibility and the benefits that you get out of it and this weekend was just a great way to spotlight all that and for everybody to experience it.”
Naomi Meurice PO ’23 also praised the program and the harmony it has built amongst past and present players, which was strongly felt at the Sagehens’ 1-1 tie against Occidental College on Saturday, Sept. 20.
“We have a bunch of people who came just for yesterday and throughout this morning,” Meurice said. “So I think it’s just a testament to the program that Coach has built and the players that she’s brought in. People really love Pomona-Pitzer soccer, and it’s so great that people also love coming back and celebrating all of that.”
Jamie Keresger PO ’17 agreed with Meurice about the strength and support from the alumni community and how, even after coming back and watching, she finds the P-P women’s soccer program and culture to be just as vibrant as when she left it.
“It feels so special to be part of a program that people value for years after graduating,” Keresger said. “And, I think the energy watching [the current team] play yesterday, it feels very much the same on the field and also off the field, just like, as a group of teammates. I’m super grateful to be part of it, and definitely plan to keep coming back to future events like this.”
For Keresger and other former players, the game was not the only highlight of the weekend.
At the anniversary dinner held over the weekend, alumni were able to witness some of their old traditions still standing strong, even with an entirely different team from previous years.
“Every year our team is changing,” Meurice said. “There are seniors graduating and freshmen coming in, and I think it was really awesome to see that a lot of our traditions are still standing today.”
This sense of continuity and community that was prevalent throughout the alumni festivities reminded Avery Izzo PO ’28 that P-P women’s soccer is more than just a sports program. For her, the weekend highlighted how the program creates lasting friendships.
“It’s much bigger than soccer,” Izzo said. “It’s a family, and it really helps you grow a lot as a person to be a part of something bigger than yourself.”
Scanlon also noted how, through values she has instilled in the team and events like the alumni game, the program has become even more tight-knit.
“Strive together, become better and wolf pack…those are [the values] any alum for the last 10 years is going to be familiar with, especially as we build our culture and foundation,” Scanlon said. “This is a special, special place, you work hard and you get the opportunity to be here, you’re going to have a great experience that’s going to make an impact on your life.”
Marshall discussed how the commitment to growing as a player and improving for her team stems from the desire to build a stronger program and create opportunities for the next generation, something which she has seen in previous years.
“It’s kind of a ‘pay it forward’ thing and I think what we’re doing here as student athletes is really important,” Marshall said.
For Marshall, Izzo and the 2025 squad, “paying it forward” is maximizing their potential for this season.
“We want that SCIAC Championship and we want to go really far in the tournament, at least in our years here,” Izzo said.
And while this year’s team has its sights set on some lofty postseason goals, the traditions and passion present at last weekend’s alumni celebrations are what continue to inspire the program.
“There really is nothing like this,” Meurice said. “The atmosphere and the environment here is just so fun…you still get the same butterflies and excitement to be here and to be playing with all these wonderful people.”
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