Redlands Women’s Soccer Achieves Bright Spots in Challenging Season
With a roster laden with underclassmen, the University of Redlands women's soccer team battled against some of the toughest competition in the nation during the 2013 campaign, accumulating a 6-10-3 overall record and a 5-7-2 mark in conference. While garnering a number of strong individual and team performances, the 2013 edition of Redlands women's soccer showed bright signs of what the future holds for the program.
While opening the season in Illinois against top-notch competition, the Bulldogs fell in their first contest against Carleton College (MN) by a score of 0-1. During the second game of its early-season road-trip, Redlands took on No. 3 Wheaton College (IL) and successfully outshot the Thunder, 25-18. However, the U of R surrendered a goal in the 72nd minute en route to the tough one-goal defeat.
Still in search of its first score of the season, the Maroon and Gray took its talents to Santa Cruz where it matched up with Illinois Wesleyan University. Junior defender Amy Pumputis (Redmond, WA) got things going for the U of R and headed home a beautiful corner kick from sophomore midfielderCassie Lively (Redmond, WA) to give the Bulldogs a 1-0 advantage in the 16th minute. For Pumputis, it was her first goal while donning a Maroon and Gray uniform. Despite the early momentum, Redlands settled for a 1-1 draw in this non-conference contest.
After falling in heartbreaking fashion to Whitman College (WA) the following day, Redlands returned home to take on Cal Lutheran University in its first match at Farquhar Field during the 2013 campaign. Although the Bulldogs stumbled in double overtime to the Regals in their Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) opener, the U of R bounced back later in the week with an exhilarating first victory of the season. In Redlands' triumph over Chapman University, neither side found the breakthrough during regulation, but Bulldog senior forward Lihini Weerasinghe (Redlands, CA) scored in the ninth minute of overtime to lift her team to a huge win over the Panthers.
After a tough mid-week game, the Bulldogs showed their resiliency with a convincing 3-1 win over Whittier College. Junior forward Tanya Haggen(Bellingham, WA) initiated the scoring early in the first half for the Bulldogs with a long-range effort that found the back of the net. Sophomore midfielder Savannah Laursen (Boise, ID) doubled the U of R lead not long after, and junior midfielder Kristen Arroyo (San Diego, CA) sealed the win for Redlands late in the first stanza with her first score of the season.
Following a scoreless draw with Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges on Breast Cancer Awareness Night, the Bulldogs battled against the always-stiff competition in the conference, losing two out of the next three to SCIAC foes. However, in its second conference bout with the Chapman Panthers, the Bulldogs turned their season around with a 2-1 triumph, which jumpstarted their longest winning streak of the year. Laursen scored a goal and provided the assist to senior forward Nicole Fox (Cheney, WA) in the momentum-building result.
In its next contest, the U of R returned to the friendly confines of Farquhar Field and scored two late goals en route to celebrating Homecoming with a win over the University of La Verne. Freshman midfielder Kate Fame (Fox Island, WA) fired off the timely go-ahead goal for the Bulldogs in the 75th minute, while Laursen sealed the deal six minutes later by converting a penalty-kick opportunity. The positive showing pushed Redlands into a tie for fourth-place in the SCIAC regular-season standings.
Taking a quick break from conference action, the Maroon and Gray hosted UC Santa Cruz in a west-region tilt. Fox opened the scoring for the Bulldogs in the 15th minute by heading a pass from senior defender Megan Marks (Boise, ID) into the back of the net. Sophomore midfielderSummer Norquist (Boise, ID) blasted in her first score of the season not long after, ripping a one-time rocket into the top-right corner of the goal to double Redlands' advantage. From that point on, solid defense from the entire back line and impressive goalkeeping from senior Sabrina Grandke-Bawab (Kirkland, WA) and sophomore Lexi Felix (Kailua, HI) kept the Banana Slugs off the scoreboard in the shutout victory.
Remaining hot, Redlands blanked Whittier, 2-0, later in the week for its fourth-consecutive triumph and fifth-straight game in which the squad tallied a pair of goals. While completely dominating the Poets in every facet of the match, the U of R outshot Whittier, 30-6, and gained key contributions from a number of players in the exciting win. Frame deftly chipped the first score into the back of the net from 18-yards out, while freshman midfielder Abby Palkowitz (San Diego, CA) sealed the victory with 14 minutes remaining in regulation with her first-ever Bulldog goal as she headed home a cross from Laursen. On the night, Laursen registered both assists for the Maroon and Gray.
Fighting for a spot in the SCIAC Postseason Tournament, Redlands needed to garner positive results in its final three games of the conference regular season in order to qualify. Unfortunately, the ball did not bounce the right way for the Bulldogs, as they fell in each of their final three matches of the year by just one goal.
With the 5-7-2 record in conference action, the Bulldogs finished in sixth place in the regular-season SCIAC standings.
Following the conclusion of the 2013 campaign, three U of R women's soccer players were honored with All-Conference awards. From their stellar play throughout the season, Laursen and sophomore defender Sam Keary (Mission Viejo, CA) garnered First-Team accolades, while Grandke-Bawab landed on the Second Team.
The awards continued to pour in for Redlands, as Laursen collected National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) All-West-Region Second-Team honors and Grandke-Bawab received Third-Team laurels.
Despite the departure of five seniors, the outlook for U of R women's soccer is bright with Head Coach Suzette Soboti leading the way. With a strong core returning for the 2014 campaign, the Bulldogs look to return to the top of the SCIAC and challenge for a conference championship while building on the strong traditions of Redlands women's soccer.
