The game is tied at 0-0. Fans are packed behind the barricades. “Let’s go, Hens!” and vuvuzelas fill the silence. After a five-for-five penalty kick showing, the Pomona-Pitzer (P-P) women’s soccer team earned their spot to the second round of the NCAA Division III playoffs.
On Nov. 16, the Sagehens hosted the first round of the tournament, facing UC Santa Cruz in the morning followed by a matchup between Trinity University and Cal Lutheran University, with the Tigers prevailing 1-0. The next day, Nov. 17, the Sagehens faced off against Trinity in the second round, ultimately falling to the Tigers in PKs after coming back from a 1-0 deficit.
Throughout full-time and extra-time play, the Hens and Banana Slugs found themselves in a deadlock. Despite the even scoreline, the Hens maintained momentum for much of the game, outshooting the Slugs 25 to 8.
With each team looking elimination in the eyes, some players, like Sagehen senior Ella Endo PO ’25, said they found motivation in the high stakes.
“One of our targets for this game was the phrase ‘All in,’” Endo said. “As it comes down to the playoffs, we put everything out on the field, we leave nothing.”
Maxine Davey PO ’25, another senior captain, also spoke on the weight of the game, noting it as a pivotal moment in her soccer career.
“For me, it’s not taking anything for granted,” Davey said. “We’ve been playing competitive soccer for, you know, 16 to 17 years of our lives, and as seniors, this is our last opportunity to play the game that we love with the teammates we love.”
The grit and gratitude expressed by Endo and Davey were evident in the Hens’ performance throughout the game. While the Sagehens held comfortable control of possession for most of the game, the Slugs fought back, pushing Sagehen goalkeeper Patricia DePalma PO ’26 to protect against set pieces. In the 31st minute, DePalma made a diving save from a header and an acrobatic jump to save a free kick shot in the second half.
As the game neared the end of regular-time play, the Hens increasingly applied pressure to threaten Santa Cruz’s defense. Isla Burch PZ ’25 received a pass in front of the goal from Hannah Hong PO ’26, but was stopped by a sliding Slug tackle on the goal line.
While the crowd was left wondering which team would prevail, Vivian Rojas Collins PO ’27 spoke on how confidence in her team helped drive play.
“For the entire 110 minutes, I had full belief that we were gonna win,” Rojas Collins said. “So it wasn’t very hard to keep going.”
While Miranda Armstrong, Sagehens’ assistant coach, acknowledged the “nerve-wracking” nature of the game, she said she felt the team was “100 percent prepared for that.”
The team was fully willing to keep the pressure going. Even during the 10-minute extra-time halves, they did what they did best — scanning the field for openings, whether down the line or via runs into the middle.
The Sagehens proved true to Armstrong’s statement, finding a dominant 9-2 shot count over the Slugs in the 20-minute extra time, but a tough Slugs showing pushed the game to penalty kicks.
With penalty kicks holding an intense and pressurized environment, Armstrong shared insight into the Sagehens’ preparation right before.
“During the game, it’s more pump up, but during PKs, it’s more like composure,” Armstrong said. “So much of it is, take your deep breath, visualize finishing that kick, and just take care of it as we practiced.”
The Hens did just that. Penalty goals from Davey, Endo, Taylor Marshall PZ ’26, Spencer Deutz PZ ’25 and Rojas Collins and a missed Slug shot brought P-P a 5-4 victory.
The Sagehens were unable to recreate this magic the following day when they fell to Trinity 3-2 in penalties, following a 1-1 game with Endo scoring a comeback Sagehen goal, despite outshooting their opponent 21-5.
Even with the loss, P-P is walking away with another successful season, finishing with a 16-3-2 total record, and an outstanding 10-1-1 SCIAC record that crowned them SCIAC regular season champions. The Sagehens’ success was visible not only in their record but also in mentality with Endo noting how the team adopted “believe” as a season motto.
“When we were writing it down and talking about it, it was all about reflecting on everything we’ve done up until this point, all the hard work we’ve put in at practice,” Endo said. “Even further beyond that, like as young kids, dreaming to be playing collegiate soccer, thinking about all that hard work.”
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